ACTION FOR UN RENEWAL

We need to eliminate nuclear weapons says

The Rome Declaration of Nobel Peace Laureates

The 7th World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates took place in Rome from November 17 to 19 and was held, as were previous Summits, on the initiative of Mikhail Gorbachev and the Mayor of Rome, Walter Veltroni.

We, Nobel Peace Laureates and Laureate Organizations, gathered in Rome, Italy, have for years been deeply disturbed by the lack of public attention and political will at the highest levels of state paid to the need to eliminate nuclear weapons. There are over 27,000 of these devices threatening civilization, with over 95% in the hands of Russia and the US. This danger threatens everyone and thus every person must work to eliminate this risk before it eliminates us.

We oppose the proliferation of nuclear weapons to any state. We are faced each day with a new crisis in proliferation exemplified by concerns regarding North Korea and Iran. However, our focus must be on the weapons themselves for the only sustainable resolution to gain security is the universal elimination of the weapons.

The failure to address the nuclear threat and to strengthen existing treaty obligations to work for nuclear weapons abolition shreds the fabric of cooperative security. A world with nuclear haves and have-nots is fragmented and unstable, a fact underscored by the current threats of proliferation. In such an environment cooperation fails. Thus, nations are unable to address effectively the real threats of poverty, environmental degradation and nuclear catastrophe.

Nuclear weapons are more of a problem than any problem they seek to solve. In the hands of anyone, the weapons themselves remain an unacceptable, morally reprehensible, impractical and dangerous risk. The use of a nuclear weapon against a state without nuclear weapons is patently immoral. Use against a state with nuclear weapons is also suicidal. These weapons have no value against terrorists or criminals. Progress toward a safer future is not thwarted from a lack of practical, threat-reducing policy options. The problem is a lack of political will.

As Nobel Peace Prize Laureates we commit to work collectively to achieve the elimination of nuclear weapons, which we believe are unworthy of civilization.

We have heard the impassioned warning from the Mayor of Hiroshima and survivors of the atomic bombs and join him and the over 1500 cities around the world, including Rome, in their call to all nations, including those with nuclear weapons arsenals – US, Russia, France, China, UK, Israel, India, and Pakistan – to immediately commence negotiations to obtain the universal, legally verifiable elimination of nuclear weapons. In past years we have set forth practical steps to bring us to such a better world, and we

reiterate the need for such policies as a entry into force of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, de alerting of the hair trigger launch on warning arsenals of thousands of hazardous weapons deployed now by Russia and the US, obtain stricter IAEA controls over nuclear materials, and pledges never to use a nuclear weapon first. Such efforts will help to ensure that nuclear capabilities are denied to terrorists.

We issue a serious warning that without such efforts the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (NPT) could corrode opening the way for dozens of states to become nuclear armed, a frightening prospect. The NPT is a bargain in which non-proliferation is obtained based on a promise by nuclear weapons states to negotiate nuclear weapons elimination and offer peaceful uses of nuclear technology. There is a fundamental dilemma which must end. Nuclear weapons states want to keep their weapons indefinitely and at the same time condemn others who would attempt to acquire them. Such flaunting of disarmament obligations is not sustainable.

The current situation is more dangerous than during the Cold War. We are gravely concerned regarding several current developments such as NPT stakeholders enabling rather than constraining proliferation, modernization of nuclear weapons systems, the aspiration to weaponize space, thus making arms control and disarmament on earth all the more difficult, and the declared policy of terrorist organizations to obtain nuclear weapons.

Given the critical nature of the situation, we pledge to challenge, persuade and inspire Heads of State to fulfil the moral and legal obligation they share with every citizen to free us from this threat. We declare our intention to participate fully in a world summit where leaders of culture, arts, sciences, business, and politics, will actively participate.

As Nobel Peace Laureates, conscience requires us to raise our voices, inspire humankind, and to demand change in state policies. We call upon the citizens of the world to join us in this work.

not unusually in Japan
in August it was a warm sunny day with
a clear china blue cloudless sky; and though it was still early
in the day it was mild and warm as only a late summer morning can be.
It had been one of those nights when those, lucky enough to have a verandah,
had been able to sleep under cover outside in the balmy night air. Others had merely
flung their windows wide to get the benefit of any ventilation to cool them as they slept.
Had it not been for the wartime austerity, the oppressive sadnesses of mothers who had lost
sons, wives who had lost husbands, children who had lost fathers and whole families who were
without menfolk; that and the hunger from lack of basic foodstuffs, it would have been a grand
time to be alive. Wartime hardship had brought people together, friendships blossomed, it was not unusual for people to share their troubles, their food or other commodities, and their good fortune such as the occasional piece of meat, come by from a relative or friend with a farm.
People gave each other mutual support, partly out of a feeling of genuine empathy
and partly out of a mutual feeling of comradeship – everyone in it
together. What sense would there be in doing otherwise?
This was not the time for people to be
merely looking out for themselves.
Everyone knew that deprivation
was far easier to endure when
everyone felt part of a friendly
community which embraced them;
would provide care and support should
pain or hardships threaten to overwhelm
them. This was what in Britain was
called the ‘wartime spirit’, the
camaraderie of ordinary
people in wartime
enduring hardship
not of their own
making but forced
upon them by rulers
who believed that ordinary
people were theirs to do with
as they wished, whilst they pursued
their own ambitions of conquest and dominance.
No one really knew what was going on as the news
was ‘managed’ by the administration, or the military
to be more precise. Of course there were always
stories glorifying our beloved Hirohito
which was supposed to make
us feel that sacrifice
was worthwhile
though really
we knew little
of what our
brave soldiers
were fighting for;
nor how things were
going or when it would end.
We all wanted to see an end to the
shortages, and a time when our men would
return and normal life be restored. That day our
citizens went to work or school as usual despite lack of
food. People used bicycles and trams or walked across our
bustling city just as countless millions do all over the world.
There was nothing special or different about anything in
Hiroshima that day – just ordinary people going about
their ordinary lives. There had been an alarm and
we had taken what little shelter we
could. It had passed and
now we just got
on with our
busy daily
routines.

Sure, there was a plane overhead, a single plane, probably just looking around. No one took any particular notice. We weren’t a military target. Little did we realise that we were seconds away from total elimination. We and our entire city would disappear and in our place would be total destruction; thousands barely human; grey gaunt, agonisingly dying; and dust, dust, dust;

In memory of Jim Addington, peace campaigner; died 21 June 2007. Noel Hamel. 5/10/07.

On a warm and sunny day with a light breeze, many friends and relatives gathered in a field designated as a “Green” burial place in the countryside just outside Guildford to pay their respects to and say their goodbyes to Jim Addington who died on 21st June while on holiday with his wife Rosemary in Cornwall, a place he knew and loved. (Obituary in July/August Peace).

When I arrived with Rae Street, I looked around to see whom I recognised. Men in dark suits and ties and plenty of grey beards mixed with ladies in flowery skirts and brightly-coloured tops — we had been told it was OK to wear cheerful clothes. Many of the faces I didn’t know. Jim had other interests as well as peace: he loved music. sang in a choir and enjoyed long-distance running. He also had an extended family of nephews and great nieces who were present along with faces recognised - Pat Allen, Richard Crump, Tim Wardle, Joan Horrocks, Laurie Bielby and Jill Hurle.

This was a Humanist ceremony, conducted by a lady. She asked us to come through into the field. A black car had pulled into it and a brown cardboard coffin was resting on a stand. I had never been to anything like this before and I was slightly scared. There was nothing like an order of service sheet and it was slightly surreal with more of a feel of a picnic or an open-air concert than a funeral. Everyone gathered round and since the crowd was about four to five deep I couldn’t see all that well. I was able to see the Humanist lady who was leading the service. She explained that Humanists do not follow a set creed but believe in humanity and that the ceremony was in line with what Jim had wanted. She said that we are all leaves of the tree of life which grows, flourishes but has to cope with storms as well as the sun and leaves then drop off. We were here to remember Jim and people would have the opportunity to contribute to the ceremony.

As the weather had been very unpredictable all week she said that should the heavens open she would move swiftly to the burial and then we would continue the readings and poems back at the pub. Fortunately this didn’t happen — the sun even came out and it was quite warm. Some of the older people found standing in the field for an hour too much and one or two sat on the bonnets of cars and one or two got out folding chairs. A nephew spoke and began with my favourite quotation: “All that is needed for evil to triumph is for good men to .do nothing.” Vijay Mehta then spoke about Jim’s work with the Action for UN Renewal Campaign. Joan Horrocks read beautifully a poem entitled “One day.” (“One day there will be no more war...’ etc.) The Humanist lady spoke about Jim’s life. I was surprised to learn that he was an old boy of Tiffin School (a very posh boys’ public school) and that he was at Ruskin College, Oxford (further education college for mature students). He had once been a member of the Young Conservatives! This was, he had said, for the social activities. He didn’t follow an academic route, running his own carpet company together with Rosemary up until his death.

There were several other poetry contributions as well as one from Rosemary herself, who joined in making comments and giving contributors hugs as the ceremony progressed. Several of Jim’s peace friends read out a scene from a little play that Jim had written (to do with Iraq and the lack of WMD) with characters Tonius, Gordonius and Hoonius and people laughed. Unlike what I would expect at a funeral, people were remembering Jim in a cheerful way and there was none of the oppressive atmosphere one usually gets in the traditional set-up. People were invited to come forward and write messages on the cardboard coffin and while this was happening Mahler music was coming from a tiny ipod and speakers. A small butterfly fluttered by and someone said it was Jim’s spirit. Then the cardboard coffin was lowered quickly into the grave and we were all asked to throw our flowers in. They thudded on to the top of the box. Vijay looked at us and said, “Shall we go to the pub?” As I got back into the “people carrier” I was brought in, an elderly lady said “Bye, bye Jim.”

We then went to the Red Lion pub. It was a lovely old country pub and the guests at the wake drank the wine which Rosemary had kindly provided as well as helping themselves to large trays loaded with sandwiches and quiche. A lady handed round copies of an obituary for Jim in the Surrey Comet and there were also old scrap books and photograph albums which were passed around. People then chatted amongst themselves and to Rosemary and she had a lot of hugs. People remembered what Jim did and what he gave to the campaigns and the friendship he gave to others he came into contact with. People mingled and chatted to others they had not met before as well as to those they had and in that way were able to get a fuller feel of Jim and all the various things he had been involved in. It was a positive experience to honour and appreciate a special man that we will all remember.