11) Iran and nuclear weapons: 'Iran is only going down the path of
nuclear enrichment to make a bomb' (Kim Howells)
----- Original Message -----
From: Sheila Triggs
To: ukwilpf@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Monday, February 06, 2006 12:31 PM
Subject: Re: [ukwilpf] Kim Howells: 'Iran is only going down the path of
nuclear enrichment to make a bomb'
Below is the letter that I sent to Jack Straw
from the Section at the point
last week when the powers agreed to take the issue to the IAEA. It was
largely based on the material sent round in the Geneva January mailing. In
the last few days an International WILPF statement has been prepared to send
to the Permanent Members of the Security Council and to issue as a press
statement now that the decision has been agreed at the IAEA. I will
circulated it when it is finalized
Sheila
Dear Jack Straw,
I am writing to on behalf of the Women¹s International League
for Peace and
Freedom (WILPF), to express our concern about the decision taken on Monday
to refer Iran to the UN Security Council. The proliferation of nuclear
weapons is possibly the single greatest threat to the world. We fear that
nuclear proliferation could through malice, madness, miscalculation or
malfunction, bring disaster. All states have a responsibility to ensure that
the number of nations with nuclear weapons does not grow; to prevent
non-state actors from obtaining them; and for those who posses nuclear
weapons to eliminate and abolish them.
Threats, rather than continued diplomacy, and rumours of military
action or
possible nuclear weapons use, exacerbates the Middle East crisis. Reports of
preparations for, and explorations of, military options in relation to Iran,
no matter how speculative, are in themselves dangerous and should cease.
There has been talk of war, both from the United States and from Israel, and
President Ahmadinejad, has spoken of "wiping Israel from the map."
President
Bush has used the words "no option is ruled out², as he did before
the
invasion of Iraq.
We support the IAEA General Director, Mohamed ElBaradei in calling
for this
belligerent talk from all parties to stop. The UK and other Nuclear Weapon
States - within and outside the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) - have made
little progress toward the internationally mandated goal of the total and
unequivocal elimination of nuclear weapons. In fact the building that is
underway at AWE Aldermaston shows a determination by the UK government to
upgrade its nuclear weapons, in spite of repeated calls by the international
community for progress toward their total and unequivocal elimination.
Nations that possess nuclear arsenals cannot credibly call for
others to
eliminate or cease the pursuit of nuclear weapons, while making no move
themselves. A global commitment to the elimination of nuclear weapons under
the NPT, applies to all parties. There can be no exceptions. Those who now
possess nuclear arsenals like the UK are obliged to disarm. Those who do not
have them, like Iran, must not pursue them.
Israel's nuclear arsenal, like the pursuit of nuclear weapons
by Iran - if
indeed that is taking place - are both dangerous, and they open the door for
further proliferation by Middle Eastern nations. A Middle Eastern arms race
would be dangerous in the extreme.
We are concerned that UK government has not renounced the first
use of
nuclear weapons even against nations that are not themselves nuclear-armed.
.
WILPF urges you now actively to seek a solution to the crisis
in relations
between the US and Iran, Israel and Iran, and the EU and Iran, based on the
following clearly defined principles:
1) No use of any military option whatsoever by any party for any reason.
2) A clear commitment by all nuclear-armed parties not to use
nuclear
weapons in this situation, and a broader commitment to the doctrine of no
first use of nuclear weapons.
3) The implementation of the 1995 Non-Proliferation Treaty Resolution
on a
Nuclear Weapon Free Zone in the Middle East. Implementation of the annual
consensus-adopted General Assembly resolutions on 'Establishment of a
Nuclear-Weapons-Free Zone in the region of the Middle East'.
4) A clear commitment by all parties to the global elimination
of nuclear
weapons, including through reaffirming the Final Declaration of the 2000
Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference, and relevant General Assembly
resolutions.
5) The pursuit of a diplomatic path to the removal of tensions
between the
EU, the US, Israel, and Iran, involving compromise on all sides; the
recognition of the legitimate security concerns of all parties, including
both Israel and Iran; and the abandonment of inflammatory statements or the
exploration of military options by any party.
I look forward to hearing that you have set out on this path to peace.
Yours sincerely,
Sheila Triggs
President, UK WILPF