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The Middle East without Weapons of Mass Destruction, Civil Society Input
an article by The International Network of Engineers and Scientists for Global Responsibility (INES) and the Peace Union of Finland (excerpts)
INES: Participants of "The Middle East without Weapons of Mass Destruction, the Way Forward- Civil Society Input" conference, meeting in Helsinki 14.-16. December 2012 are outraged at the decision to 'readjust the timing' of the Conference. Given the fact that there are already threats of outright war and forms of warfare aimed at Iran, the postponement of the Conference is a serious threat to peace in the Middle East.
click on photo to enlarge
Peace Union: There have been a series of preparing consultations and conferences on this issue by NGOs and civil society actors and academic scholars during the year 2012 in different parts of the world. There is a need to collect the results and suggestions of these and also to look at the way forward. For this there was one more conference in December 2012, in Helsinki.
Participants . . . strongly welcome the agreement at the NPT Review Conference in 2010 that the "Secretary- General of the United Nations and the co-sponsors of the 1995 Resolution, in consultation with the States of the region, will convene a conference in 2012, to be attended by all states of the Middle East, on the establishment of a Middle East zone free of nuclear weapons and all other weapons of mass destruction, on the basis of arrangements freely arrived at by the States of the region, and with the full support and engagement of the nuclear-weapon States" and the annual consensus resolution at the UNGA on the establishment of a Nuclear Weapons Free Zone in the Middle East Region (A/RES/67/28). . .
We recognise that the Conference and a process to establish a zone free of nuclear and ther weapons of mass destruction would have a tremendous benefit for the security of the people of the region, and the peace process.
The existence of weapons of mass destruction in the region, and especially the possession of nuclear weapons by Israel cannot be maintained, and make the Conference vitally important.
The Conference would be of historical significance for the future of the region and for world peace and must, therefore, take place as soon as possible. We believe that the dialogue necessary to create such a zone will help to prevent conflict, and to be successful cannot be entered into coercively or under threat of war or attack.
This gathering offers the following recommendations to support this process:
To the Conference Convenors: The Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, The United Nations Secretary-General and the United States:
1. We urge a date to be set without delay and announced publicly, even if not every state has declared their intent to participate. Setting a date and sending out invitations increases positive pressure for all States to attend.
2. We urge that global support for the Conference be reaffirmed through a resolution at the UN General Assembly, thereby bringing it fully under the auspices of the UN. . . . [for further recommendations, see the site of the Peace Union of Finland]
The conference was arranged by Finnish peace organisations ( Peace Union of Finland , Committee of 100, Peace Committee , Physicians for Social Responsibility and PAND, artist for Peace, in cooperation with International Peace Bureau (IPB) and IPPNW.
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DISCUSSION
Question(s) related to this article:
What is the history of arms-free zones,, Do they work?
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Latest reader comment:
It would be interesting to know the history of nuclear- and arms-free zones, and whether they work or not. Does any reader know about this?
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