For the Abolition of Nuclear Weapons
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Statement: Protest against the US "nuclear posture review" plan
Statement: Protest against the "nuclear posture review" plan by the Bush Administration
January 23, 2002
Hidankyo
(Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations)
The US Bush Administration proposed "the nuclear posture review" plan to the Congress on January 8, in order to counter the threat of terrorism or "rough states". On following the 9th, the Department of Defense announced the "new nuclear strategy", keeping a part of it secret as national secrecy. The plan mainly consists of three points, "offense system with conventional and nuclear weapons", "missile defense system" and "reshaping the defense system to enhance its reacting capability to a new threat". In the plan, it is said that a possibility of resuming underground nuclear testing at Nevada Test Site within two years is proposed. This should lead to develop new nuclear weapons.
The Bush Administration has planed to unilateral global domination with nuclear arsenals and decided to withdraw from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, refuse to ratify the CTBT and promote the missile defense program. As is represented by the final document of the NPT Review Conference in May 2000, which President Clinton (that time) signed, the main stream of the world opinion has become in the direction of total elimination of nuclear weapons. The move of the Bush administration is the challenge against the stream.
With people of conscience in the world, we, the A-bomb victims, strongly denounce and protest against dangerous attempt of the Bush Administration, which may result in new era of nuclear arms race.
We urge the US government to:
Abandon the "nuclear posture review" plan.
Retract the withdrawal from the ABM Treaty.
Ratify the CTBT and halt the plan of nuclear testing including subcritical nuclear testing.
Implement the unequivocal undertaking to accomplish the total elimination of nuclear weapons and call for immediately convening an international conference to conclude an international treaty for elimination of nuclear weapons.
