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WHAT'S NEW IN INES? |
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No.27/2001 |
Dateline: July 6, 2001 |
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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:
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. 27/2001
MEMBERSHIP AND PROJECTS' NEWS"
USA: Nuclear Age Peace Foundation (NAPF), The Sunflower, No. 50, July 2001
Back issues: http://www.wagingpeace.org/sf/backissues.html
Events are listed at: http://www.wagingpeace.org/calendar/events_current.html
The July issue of The Sunflower covers the following:
SPECIAL SECTION
ON THE US MISSILE DEFENCE POLICY
Japan and Ballistic Missile Defense (Source: Nuclear Policy Project Flash, Volume 3, Number 26, June 30, 2001)
Michael Swaine and Rachel Swanger of the RAND Corporation and Takashi Kawakami of the Japan National Institute for Defense Studies co-authored a RAND report examining the factor's affecting Japan's approach to ballistic missile defense. The report states that, spurred by a perceived growing ballistic missile threat from within the Asia-Pacific region and requests from the United States to support research and development on components of a missile defense system, the Japanese government decided in late 1998 and early 1999 to move forward with joint research and development with the US on ballistic missile defense (BMD). The report explores the benefits and potential problems of deploying a BMD system in Japan.
http://www.rand.org/publications/MR/MR1374/
UK: Report of 31st May Forum on US Missile Defence
This event was sponsored by a number of UK-based NGOs (Abolition 2000 UK, the British American Security Information Council (BASIC), the Campaign for Accountability of American Bases (CAAB), the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND), Medical Action for Global Security (the British IPPNW section), the UN Association of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (UNA), and Quaker Peace and Social Witness). A report of the Forum was recently released, which is available from the WNII Editor as an rtf-formatted email attachment. On the occasion, I also would include the CND Statement "Missile Defence - No solution" due to be handed in at the US President's visit to Britain in July.
UK: Greenpeace Activists Invade Star Wars-related US Spy Base
On 3 July, over one hundred Greenpeace activists from the UK, Denmark, the USA, Australia, New Zealand, Germany and Ireland invaded for 24 hours the American Menwith Hill Spy base, near Harrogate, North Yorkshire to expose the bases proposed role in President George W Bushs 'Star Wars' (National Missile Defence) system. At times, they occupied three areas within the high security site. The British Ministry of Defence confirmed up to 150 demonstrators having entered the base.
The Menwith Hill base is rented from the British government by the US National Security Agency (NSA) and is home to over 1,000 American NSA personnel. It is primarily a listening base, which intercepts international phone, fax and email communications. However it also houses two golf ball radomes that would become the "eyes and ears" the planned Star Wars system (1).
Greenpeace UK executive director Stephen Tindale, who was at Menwith Hill, said President George Bush's proposed missile defence programme was "a disaster". He called on Prime Minister Tony Blair to turn down American requests to use UK-based sites at Menwith Hill and Fylingdales, North Yorkshire. Tindale also urged "& Mr. Blair not to kowtow to Bush on such a crucial issue. He must say no to UK involvement."
Greenpeace claimed that work on building the Star Wars infrastructure had already started. But a Ministry of Defence spokeswoman denied this, saying the only new construction work was on the equivalent of bike sheds, and Menwith Hill was not involved in Star Wars. She said the activists had used specialist equipment to get in. "It wasn't just a case of a man with a wire cutter," she said. She added that it had been "business as usual" for staff at the base today, despite the protests.
(1) Two SBIRS (Space Based Infrared System) Radomes have been constructed in the Menwith Hill complex. If the UK government give the go ahead they will be used as a ground relay station to transmit information on missile location and trajectory back to the US to assist with targeting for ground, sea, air and space based interceptors.
For details, contact William Peden, Disarmament Campaigner, Greenpeace International: < > http://www.stopstarwars.org
Abolition 2000 homepage: http://www.abolition2000.org Grassroots News: http://www.napf.org/abolition2000/news
New to the Abolition 2000 website
Carah Lynn Ong, Coordinator, Abolition 2000 < >
Putin Offers to Slash Warheads if U.S. Adheres to ABM Treaty (Source: Los Angeles Times, 3 July 2001)
On 2 July, President Vladimir V. Putin reiterated an offer to eliminate at least three-quarters of Russia's 6,000 nuclear warheads. But he said his proposal for dramatic arms cuts depends on the United States' not unilaterally withdrawing from the 29-year-old Antiballistic Missile Treaty because of President Bush's plan for a U.S. national missile defense system. (&)
"Russia welcomes the reciprocal readiness of the United States of America to reduce strategic offensive weapons," Putin said. "We are ready for a further verifiable reduction of strategic weapons to the level of 1,500 warheads or even less. I would like to stress, a verifiable reduction." He made a similar offer to President Clinton in November last year, tying reductions in Russia's nuclear arsenal to continued adherence to the ABM treaty and saying the reduction could be achieved by 2008. (&)
Henry L. Stimson Center: The Stability-Instability Paradox: Nuclear Weapons and Brinksmanship in South Asia (Source: Nuclear Policy Project Flash, Volume 3, Number 26, June 30, 2001)
The US-based Henry L. Stimson Center released a report edited by Michael Krepon and Chris Gagne with five essays that focus on the complex triangular nuclear interaction among India, Pakistan, and China. These essays examine nuclear dangers in the region and propose strategies for reducing these dangers through political, diplomatic, and technical means. The report contains essays by Michael Krepon, P.R. Chari, Chris Gagne, Kent Biringer and Harinder Baweja. Pakistani daily The Jang argues that the report, because of the author list, appears biased towards Indian and US perspectives and ignores the Pakistani perspective.
http://www.stimson.org/pubs/cbm/cbmgen/index.html#brinksmanship
First Session of the United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF) http://www.un.org/esa/sustdev/forests.htm
The First UNFF Session was held at New York, 11-22 June 2001 (see WNII 9/2001). The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) has made available a full and comprehensive day-by-day coverage of this Conference through 11 consecutive issues of its "Earth Negotiations Bulletin". Slightly restructured, these contributions are available from the WNII Editor as a one-file rtf-formatted email attachment or you can also visit: http://www.iisd.ca/forestry/unff/unff1/
Youth NGO Conference on the Convention on Wetlands
The Convention on Wetlands, signed in Ramsar, Iran, in 1971, is an intergovernmental treaty which provides the framework for national action and international co-operation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources. At present, there are 124 Contracting Parties to the Convention, with 1069 wetland sites, totaling 81.2 million hectares, designated for inclusion in the Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance.
In November 2002, the Eighth Meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties (COPs) of Ramsar Convention will be held at Valencia, Spain. The organisation Amigos da Terra Galicia, a branch of Friends of the Earth International, would like to organise a youth pre-conference of this Meeting in Valencia in autumn 2002.
Amigos da Terra Galicia is now looking for young participants, -- up to 26 years olds, -- who are members of an NGO (of the countries of EU, and Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and associated countries as Hungary, Poland etc, the Mediterranean Countries, exSovietic countries, South-East countries of Europe, Latin America), -- and have a knowledge already about the topic.
To apply the fund of this conference, the organisers need the data of the sending organisation as well. If you are interested in the topic do not hesitate to contact them through Viktória Tóth or Carlos-Luis Pérez Aguirre: < >
Additional information about the organisers can be obtained from: http://www.foeieurope.org or: http://www.tierra.org
Information about the Ramsar Convention: http://www.ramsar.org
UN Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (CGRFA)
The CGRFA held its Sixth Extraordinary Session from 25 to 30 June. The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) has made available a coverage of this Conference through 6 consecutive issues of its "Earth Negotiations Bulletin". Slightly restructured, these contributions are available from the WNII Editor as a one-file rtf-formatted email attachment. Alternately, you can also visit: http://www.iisd.ca/biodiv/ExCGRFA-6/
CONFERENCES, MEETINGS, SEMINARS
Peace Brigades International 20th anniversary conference "Promoting nonviolence and protecting human rights - the role of civilian third party initiatives in conflict areas" http://www.peacebrigades.org/
For more details, mailto:
ISEE Conference on Environment and Development Globalisation & the Challenges for Local & International Governance http://193.51.42.100/eee/ISEEtunisia2002.html
This is the next biannual conference of the International Society for Ecological Economics (ISEE) which will cover issues like - The science, management and governance of ecological resources - North-South-relations such as climate change, biodiversity,... - Trends of globalisation (trade, commerce, tourism) - Emerging paradigms and methods of analysis for addressing scientific and political challenges of sustainability.
For more details, contact the ISEE Tunisia 2002 Conference Secretariat: < >
NOTE that INES Council members are on the Scientific Advisory Council of this Conference.
No new or changed addresses.
All INES e-mail addresses and homepages are available upon request from:
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