April 2010: Really Getting to Zero

 

The 1970 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) has been ratified by 187 countries. From May 3rd to 28th, 2010, the UN will host the NPT Review Conference held every 5 years.

The NPT prohibits the non-nuclear-weapon countries that have ratified the Treaty from acquiring nuclear weapons. It commits all nuclear-weapon nations that have ratified the Treaty (US, Russia, China, France, UK) to pursue negotiations to eliminate all nuclear weapons, currently about 23,000 worldwide. Many of the non-nuclear countries have grown impatient over these 40 years and several have threatened to pull out of the NPT and acquire their own nuclear weapons unless the nuclear-armed countries carry out their side of the deal.

Today we face the real threats of nuclear proliferation, nuclear terrorism, accidents, or mistaken use. There have been several close calls. In response to these threats, and to fulfill our legal commitment to the NPT, we urge President Obama, at the NPT Review Conference, to call for the start of negotiations leading to the elimination of nuclear weapons. This would be the first time for nations to come together to achieve this goal.

The call for these negotiations is supported by these recent events:
• the unanimous vote of the US Conference of Mayors
• an international petition to President Obama with more than 2,000,000 signatures
• a statement by 3,700 members of Mayors for Peace from 135 countries
• the unanimous vote of the UN Security Council "to pursue negotiations in good faith on effective measures relating to nuclear arms reduction and disarmament."

This Month's Action: Contact President Obama

Thank him for his statements supporting the elimination of nuclear weapons. Ask him, while he attends the 2010 NPT Review Conference, to call for the start of negotiations leading to nuclear abolition. Point out that this is his chance to jettison Cold War nuclear doctrine and bolster America's credibility as it presses to keep Iran, North Korea, and other countries from building their own nuclear arsenals.

Contact: President Barack Obama
www.whitehouse.gov/contact
Tel: 202 456 1111 (9:00 am to 5:00 pm DC time)
Fax: 202 456 2461
Letters to the White House may take 6-10 weeks to arrive, and you may not get through by phone or fax, so we suggest you leave a message on the White House website.

Additional information about this issue

About the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)
http://www.un.org/en/conf/npt/2010/

Text of the NPT
http://disarmament.un.org/TreatyStatus.nsf

Article VI of the NPT “Each of the Parties to the Treaty undertakes to pursue negotiations in good faith on effective measures relating to cessation of the nuclear arms race at an early date and to nuclear disarmament, and on a treaty on general and complete disarmament under strict and effective international control.”

The Statement by the US Conference of Mayors June 2009 unanimously “AFFIRMING THE ROLE OF CITIES IN ACHIEVEMENT OF A PEACEFUL WORLD FREE OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS BY 2020”:
http://usmayors.org/resolutions/77th_conference/international05.asp

Watch this 4 minute video form Ploughshares Fund President Joe Cirincione about why the climate is right to act now to rid ourselves of Nuclear Weapons:
http://ploughshares.org/moment/video

Sunday, May 2nd, NYC: International Day of Actions for a Nuclear-Free World

Join with thousands of people from around the world on the eve of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference at the United Nations. Hundreds of international organizations have come together to organize a day of action to bring pressure to bear on world leaders who will be attending the NPT conference to make nuclear abolition a reality in our lifetimes. This will be the first large anti-nuclear rally in years, inspiring and empowering, building a sense of global united action. It should also be a lot of fun. Bring yourself, your family, and your friends!

For more details, go to peaceandjusticenow.org.