Nuclear-free world ultimate aim of new cross-party pressure group

8th September 2009
The Guardian
 

A cross-party group of ex-ministers and former generals will be launched next month to push for global nuclear disarmament.

The group, chaired by a former defence secretary, Des Browne, will seek to rally European support for a US-led initiative to work towards the abolition of nuclear weapons through radical, co-ordinated cuts in the arsenals of existing nuclear states, in an effort to persuade emerging powers to forgo such weapons.

The nuclear non-proliferation treaty is up for review next May, at a time when it is in danger of falling apart under pressure from aspiring nuclear states such as Iran, North Korea and their regional neighbours. Hopes of strengthening the treaty have been bolstered by the election of Barack Obama and initial progress in bilateral disarmament talks between the US and Russia.

"There is a window of opportunity, but it is a limited window of opportunity," Browne said. "It's a big opportunity for nuclear weapons states ... to make a contribution to improving the confidence the rest of the world has in the non-proliferation treaty."

The parliamentary group will seek to rally European support for the long-term goal of a nuclear-free world promoted by the Obama administration and Gordon Brown's government, and arrive at a common European position on the eventual withdrawal of the remaining US nuclear weapons in Europe.

The group will be called the Top Level Group of UK Parliamentarians for Multilateral Nuclear Disarmament and Non-Proliferation, and as well as Browne will bring together former Labour ministers Margaret Beckett, John Reid and Lord Robertson; senior Tories including Malcolm Rifkind and Michael Ancram; and three former chiefs of the defence staff, General Lord Guthrie, Field Marshal Lord Inge and Admiral Lord Boyce. It will also include Lady Williams, the prime minister's adviser on nuclear proliferation.

The members have expressed different opinions in the past over Britain's arsenal, and it is unclear whether they agree on when and how it should be put on the table in multilateral talks.

The group will seek to emulate the impact that a handful of US statesmen, including Henry Kissinger, George Shultz, William Perry and Sam Nunn, have had in the US. Their open letter in the Wall Street Journal in 2007 calling for the abolition of nuclear weapons started a national debate. Their position was ultimately embraced by the Obama administration.

Browne said the group hoped to provoke a similar debate in Britain, and a handful of members were in Washington to consult senators and members of the Obama administration. "These weapons are so dangerous, their power is so lethal, that comparatively small numbers, comparatively small developments will make the world a much less safe place than it currently is," he said.

 

The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament today welcomed the formation of a new grouping of ex-ministers and retired senior military officers calling for multilateral nuclear disarmament. The group, which echoes that formed by former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, is part of a growing movement of senior politicians from across the political spectrum who are highlighting the urgency of moving towards a world free of nuclear weapons.

The announcement of the group's formation comes at a time of renewed debate about the £76bn project to replace the UK's Trident nuclear weapons system. A ComRes/Independent opinion poll released yesterday yet again showed a majority of voters in favour of scrapping Trident by 58 to 35%.

The 'Top Level Group of UK Parliamentarians for Multilateral Nuclear Disarmament and Non-Proliferation' includes former Labour ministers Des Browne, Margaret Beckett, John Reid and Lord Robertson; senior Conservatives Malcolm Rifkind and Michael Ancram; and three former chiefs of the defence staff, General Lord Guthrie, Field Marshal Lord Inge and Admiral Lord Boyce. Liberal Democrat peer Shirley Williams, an internationally acknowledged expert in this area, will also join the group.

Kate Hudson, Chair of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, said "The formation of such a high-level coalition underlines the urgency of the task facing governments, the UK included, to ensure progress on disarmament. Serious steps must be taken towards disarmament otherwise we will see the further spread of these most dangerous of weapons. The cross-party nature of this group shows how nuclear disarmament is taken increasingly seriously across the political spectrum. It is now vital that the leaders of the parties represented in this group also fully support its goals."

"We strongly support the group's goal of reaching a common European position on the withdrawal of the remaining 200 US nuclear weapons in Europe. Rapidly reaching a consensus on this could feed into the current re-writing of NATO's 'strategic concept'. The 'sharing' of US nuclear weapons with Germany, Belgium Holland, Italy and Turkey contradicts both the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and NATO's international non-proliferation policy. Any efforts which secure the removal of these weapons will be a positive step towards reducing tensions and de-nuclearising NATO."

 
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