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WHAT'S NEW IN INES? |
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No. 17/2002 |
Dateline: June 16, 2002 |
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This is the weekly electronic information service of the International Network of Engineers and Scientists for Global Responsibility
Editor: Tobias Damjanov, e-mail:
WNII is archived at: http://inesglobal.org/archive.htm
INES homepages: http://inesglobal.org http://www.inesglobal.com/
INES International Office
INES Chair: Prof. Armin Tenner [Please note that the first "1" in q18 is the number one, while the last "l" is an "L"]
CONTENTS of WNII No. 17/2002
INES/INESAP: Statement on Nuclear Dangers
At the INES Council meeting Bradford, UK, 26 May 2002, the International Network of Engineers and Scientists for Global Responsibility (INES) and INES Against Proliferation (INESAP) have jointly issued the following statement
India and Pakistan stand on the brink of war over Kashmir with serious dangers of nuclear war between the two countries.
We call upon the international community, through the United Nations Security Council to immediately intervene diplomatically to prevent war and with peace-keeping forces, if necessary, to ensure that neither country uses nuclear weapons under any circumstance.
In this context we express our strong dissatisfaction with the United States Nuclear Posture Review and with the United States withdrawal from the ABM Treaty, and the recently signed nuclear arms treaty between the United States and Russia. This treaty, reflecting the United States Nuclear Posture Review, does far too little too slowly and continues to set the example to the world that nuclear weapons are useful even for the strongest nations.
We urge the United States and Russia to return to the negotiation table to agree to deeper cuts, the irreversible destruction of dismantled warheads, and the immediate de-alerting of their nuclear arsenals.
We further urge that all five declared nuclear weapon states begin multilateral negotiations to fulfill their obligation for an 'unequivocal undertaking' to achieve the total elimination of nuclear weapons in the world, including those of India, Pakistan and Israel. The leadership of the United States and Russia, as well as that of the United Kingdom, France and China, is essential to achieve these ends and to present nuclear weapons from being used again.
"INES Newsletter" No. 37 out now
The "INES Newsletter" No. 37/June 2002 carries the following.
The "INES Newsletter" is edited by Armin Tenner: <> [Please note that the first "1" in q18 is the number one, while the last "l" is an "L"]. A pure ASCII version is available for distribution by e-mail. Ask the "INES Newsletter" editor to put you on his distribution list.
The "INES Newsletter" is also available at: http://inesglobal.org . Previous issues are archived at: http://inesglobal.org/ines2.htm
Egypt: Request from Bahig Nassar (INESAP)
Dear World Activists and Democrats, Dear World NGOs and Democrats, After the approval of the Egyptian Parliament and passing the New Law for Public Associations, which restricts the activities and sovereignty of the civil society associations in Egypt, through the custody and hegemony of the administrative body on the civil and public activities, the Egyptian civil society movement will be subjected to lots of restraints; starting from the process of inauguration of an organization, the interference in the running of the general assembly of the associations, prior approvals before joining any international organization or network, and reaching the prohibition of accepting foreign funding without the permission of the administrative body, as well as the right to the administrative dismantling of an organization, in addition to the punitive measures to any violation to the Law.
Moreover, the new Law forces the organizations and associations that have different legal setup to adapt to the new proposed design.
The Arab Program for Human Rights Activists calls for regional and international solidarity with the Egyptian NGOs through signing this appeal that will be presented to his Excellency the Egyptian President in order to use his constitutional authorities not to have this Law ratified, and to return it back to the democratic channels that allows a less repressive dialogue between the concerned parties, legal and civil NGOs in Egypt, in accordance with the Egyptian constitution and the international treaties for Human Rights, especially the Declaration on the Right and Responsibility of Individuals, Groups and Organs of Society to Promote and Protect Universally Recognized Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms.
To show solidarity, check upon the following petition: http://www.PetitionOnline.com/rphra4/petition.html
Bahig Nassar Coordinator, Arab Coordination Center of NGOs < >
USA: Nuclear Age Peace Foundation (NAPF), The Sunflower, No. 61, June 2002 Back issues: http://www.wagingpeace.org/sf/backissues.html Events are listed at: http://www.wagingpeace.org/calendar/events_current.html
The June 2002 issue of The Sunflower covers the following:
To read "The Sunflower", please send an email to Carah Lynn Ong, Director of Research and Publications: < > or goto: http://www.wagingpeace.org/sf/index.html (The newsletter is also available in pdf format online)
SPECIAL SECTION ON THE US MISSILE DEFENSE POLICY
New webpage: Prevention of an Arms Race in Outer Space (PAROS) and the UN (forwarded by Emily Schroeder, WILPF/Reaching Critical Will
This new webpage is at the Reaching Critical Will website http://www.reachingcriticalwill.org/paros/parosindex.html
It will serve as a resource on past and recent developments in the UN concerning the weaponization of space, including relevant treaties, resolutions, UN documents, UN bodies, UN conferences, NGOs and websites, email lists, NGO reports and UN press releases on PAROS since 1996.
International workshop on Space Weapons Ban held in Berlin
On 10-11 June, a workshop and expert meeting were held in Berlin, Germany, on the questions how a space weapons ban could be achieved. On the invitation of ACDIS (Program in Arms Control, Disarmament, and International Security at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign), INESAP (International Network of Engineers and Scientists Against Proliferation), and VDW (Federation of German Scientists, a German INES member organisation), experts from the US, China, Russia, the United Kingdom, and Germany met to discuss proposals for a space weapons ban that have been officially tabled in the past.
The Chinese representative surprised the attendants with a brand new proposal that will be officially introduced into the United Nations' Conference of Disarmament at the end of this month. Fu Zhigang from the Permanent Mission of the People's Republic of China to the CD explained details of a working paper his country drafted jointly with Russia. The suggested agreement would obligate the States Parties "not to place in orbit around the Earth any objects carrying any kinds of weapons, not to install such weapons on celestial bodies, or not to station such weapons in outer space in any other manner."
Several other draft treaties were also presented and discussed by the scientific, legal, and policy experts at the workshop. The discussion showed that activities to prevent an arms race in space are as important now and then. The participants will continue their efforts in the future to raise international attention for a space without weapons.
For further details contact INESAP Coordinator Regina Hagen: < >
"US Missile Defence - 10 Reasons for UK Concern"
The Abolition 2000UK Missile Defence Working Group has produced this briefing (which has been sent to all UK MPs) which is available in PDF format at: http://abolition2000uk.gn.apc.org/MD.html
Abolition 2000 homepage: http://www.abolition2000.org Grassroots News: http://www.napf.org/abolition2000/news/
New US subcritical test conducted
On 7 June, scientists successfully detonated the Oboe 9 subcritical nuclear weapons experiment at the Nevada Test Site
"Data from monitoring instruments confirmed that the experiment was subcritical, that is, no self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction occurred," according to a statement by the agency, which is a branch of the Department of Energy.
The experiment by scientists from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California was the nation's 17th since the program was launched July 2, 1997. The program allows scientists to detonate small amounts of plutonium to understand without full-scale testing how nuclear warhead materials age in the stockpile.
In anticipation of Oboe 9, an international anti-nuclear group, the Shundahai Network, issued a statement denouncing the work at the Nevada Test Site.
"These tests continue to violate the spirit of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, the Non-Proliferation Treaty, and the World Court's ruling on the illegality of preparing for nuclear war," the Shundahai Network's statement says.
"It is also a continued violation of the Treaty of Ruby Valley signed with the Western Shoshone Nation."
Israel arms submarines with nuclear cruise missiles (Source: Washington Post, 15 June 2002)
Israel has acquired three diesel submarines that it is arming with newly designed cruise missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads, according to former Pentagon and State Department officials, potentially giving Israel a triad of land-, sea- and air-based nuclear weapons for the first time. A former Pentagon official: "It is above top secret knowing whether the sub-launched cruise missiles are nuclear-armed." Another former official added, "We often don't ask.
Israel has long refused to confirm or deny it has nuclear weapons. U.S. analysts say it has a modest arsenal of short- and medium-range nuclear-capable missiles, nuclear bombs that could be delivered from jet fighters and Harpoon missiles that could be launched from planes or ships.
Mark Regev, spokesman for the Israeli Embassy in Washington, confirmed that his country had recently acquired three submarines from Germany but would not comment on whether they were being outfitted with nuclear weapons. "There has been no change in Israel's long-standing position not to introduce nuclear weapons in the Middle East," Regev said.
A book published recently by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace reported that Israel was attempting to arm its diesel submarines with nuclear cruise missiles. There have been published reports going back to 1998 that describe Israel's acquisition of the diesel submarines and its testing of a cruise missile.
The Carnegie Endowment book said Israel "is believed to have deployed" 100 Jericho short-range and medium-range missiles that are nuclear-capable. In addition, it has nuclear bombs that could be delivered from U.S.-made F-16 jet fighters and U.S.-built Harpoon missiles that could be launched from planes or ships. Israel's nuclear-capable, sea-launched cruise missiles were tested in May 2000, the book said, and might have a range of more than 900 miles. With three submarines, Israel could "have a deployment at sea of one nuclear-armed submarine at all times," the book said.
2002 WORLD SUMMIT ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT NEWS
Write to governments for Sustainable Energy Agency initiative >From Alice Slater, President, Global Resource Action Center for the Environment (GRACE), a US-based INES member organisation
Dear Friends, The European Union and the US are blocking efforts to initiate our International Sustainable Energy Fund (*)--even though the Abolition 2000 Working Group was able to receive the endorsement of the NGO Energy Caucus for this proposal--and South Africa was recommending it to the Earth Summit. Now is the time to write to your government leaders and urge them to support clean, safe non-nuclear, non-fossil fuel energy for developing countries. Many thanks for your help. Alice Slater < >
(*) see also: GRACE Proposal for a Sustainable Energy Agency; in WNII 17/2001: this proposal is available from the WNII Editor as an rtf-formatted email attachment.
NOTE, in addition, a report "Good News from Bali?" on the recent WSSD PrepCom IV written by Deling Wang, chair of the NGO Energy Caucus. (thanks to Alice Slater for forwarding it.) The report is available from the WNII Editor as an rtf-formatted email attachment.
The editor
How has industry progressed towards sustainable development thus far?
As one of UNEP's contributions to the WSSD, this freely downloadable UNEP booklet seeks to answer this question. It presents an extended version of the executive summary of a report by UNEP, which documents sector-specific progress in implementing Agenda 21. The UNEP report builds on the 22 industry-driven sector reports of the "Industry as a partner for sustainable development" series. It outlines achievements, unfinished business and future challenges as reported by participating industry sectors, while also noting the perspectives and concerns of non-governmental and labour organisations. http://www.unepie.org/outreach/wssd/docs/global/booklet.pdf
NOTE, in addition, that all reports of the series are freely available from UNEP's website: http://www.unepie.org/outreach/wssd/publications/publications.htm
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
UN Oceans Atlas launched (Source: UNEP News Release 2002/47)
Several of the world's foremost ocean agencies, including the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), have created an Internet-based Oceans Atlas with the goal to help reverse the decline and promote the sustainable development of oceans. The Atlas provides users with continuously updated strategic data on the state of the world's oceans, maps, development trends and threats to human health from the deteriorating marine environment.
Initially, the Atlas contains 14 global maps and links to hundreds of others, including 264 maps showing the distribution of fishery resources. A further 100 maps showing global ice cover, navigation routes, earthquake and volcanic activity, temperature gradients, bottom contours, salinity and other ocean characteristics are being contributed by the Russian Head Department of Navigation and Oceanography.
The Atlas can be accessed online at: http://www.oceansatlas.org
CONFERENCES, MEETINGS, SEMINARS
NGO Strategy Summit
For more details, contact Emily Schroeder: < >
No new or changed email or web addresses in this issue. All INES e-mail addresses and homepages are available upon request from:
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