January 31, 2019

Press Release at the bottom

An Open Letter on the INF & START treaties, nuclear risk-reduction and disarmament measures to preserve peace and achieve sustainable security
Adopted in Basel, Switzerland on January 15, 2019.

To:

Donald Trump, President of the United States
Vladimir Putin, President of the Russian Federation
Jens Stoltenberg, Secretary-General of NATO
Miroslav Lajčák, Chair of the OSCE
Federica Mogherini, EU High Representative for Security and Foreign Affairs
Eliot Engel, Chair of the US House Foreign Affairs Committee
Adam Smith, Chair of the House Armed Services Committee
James Inhofe, Chair of the US Senate Armed Services Committee
James Risch, Chair of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee
Leonid Slutsky, Chair of the Russian Duma Committee on Foreign Affairs
Vladimir Shamanov, Chair of the Russian Duma Committee on Defence
Konstantin Kosachev, Chair of the Russian Federation Council Committee on Foreign Affairs
Viktor Bondarev, Chair of the Russian Federation Council Committee on Defence and Security

CC: Xi Jinping, President of China
Theresa May, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
Emmanuel Macron, President of France

Dear President Trump, President Putin, Secretary-General Stoltenberg, Chair Lajčák, High Representative Mogherini, Mr Engel, Mr Smith, Senator Inhofe, Senator Risch, Mr Slutsky, Mr Shamanov, Mr Kosachev and Mr Bondarev,

Last year, the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists moved the hands of the Doomsday Clock to 2 Minutes to Midnight citing “the failure of world leaders to deal with looming threats of nuclear war and climate change”, and highlighting the increasingly high risks of a nuclear exchange by accident, miscalculation, conflict escalation or intent.*

We applaud the Korean peace and denuclearization process which commenced since then, and we give our full support for continuing diplomacy to ensure success. And we welcome adoption by the United Nations of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.

However, we are extremely concerned about the deteriorating security environment in Europe and internationally during 2018 arising from the erosion of the Intermediate Nuclear Forces Treaty; United States withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (Iran nuclear non-proliferation agreement); unresolved conflicts between Russia and the West including over Crimea and Syria and between nuclear armed states in other regions including South Asia and the South China Sea; further development and modernization of nuclear weapons and related military systems; and provocative war games and nuclear threat postures.

INF Treaty

We are particularly concerned about the unravelling of the Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, an historic agreement reached in 1987 between the United States and the Soviet Union to eliminate all of their nuclear and conventional ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles with ranges of 500 to 5,500 kilometres, and to utilize extensive on-site inspections for verification of its implementation.

We call on the United States and Russia to refrain from developing and deploying weapons systems that could violate the Treaty, and to resolve compliance issues through dialogue and through enhanced work of the Special Verification Commission established by the Treaty.

We call on the Russian Duma and U.S. Congress to refuse to authorise, or allocate funding for, the development or deployment of weapons systems which might violate the Treaty, such as the Russian 9M729 missile, or which could provide similar capability as weapons prohibited under the INF Treaty, such as air or sea launched nuclear-armed cruise missiles.
And we call on European member States of NATO to re-affirm their opposition to any deployment of nuclear missiles in Europe

New START Treaty

We are also concerned that the current conflicts may undermine the new START Treaty which provides common-sense limits and verification on the numbers of U.S. and Russian deployed strategic weapons and delivery vehicles , and which is set to expire in February 2021. We call on the US and Russia to extend the New START Treaty until 2026 and to undertake additional cuts to their nuclear stockpiles, either unilaterally or through negotiations.

Nuclear risk-reduction including No-First-Use

In order to reduce the risk of nuclear weapons use by accident, miscalculation or escalation, we call on Russia, the U.S. and NATO to re-affirm that a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be launched, and to implement such a declaration by adopting policies to never initiate the use of nuclear weapons (‘no-first-use’ policies). And we call on Russia and the U.S. to rescind their ‘launch-on-warning’ policies and to end their high operational readiness to use nuclear weapons.

Achieving a nuclear-weapon-free world

We highlight the universal obligation to achieve a nuclear-weapon-free world, and we welcome the commitment made by NATO and the United States to ‘create the conditions’ to realise this goal. We call on them to implement this commitment through:
a) enhanced dialogue and engagement with other nuclear-armed States;
b) developing an action plan for the comprehensive phase-out of nuclear deterrence and its replacement by common security;
c) undertaking initial steps by reducing nuclear stockpiles, cancelling nuclear weapons modernisation programs, cutting nuclear weapons budgets and reallocating these funds to support sustainable development; and
d) joining with other nuclear-armed and reliant States to negotiate a global nuclear weapons convention (to eliminate all nuclear weapons) as already supported by China, India, Pakistan, North Korea and most non-nuclear countries.

We reaffirm that disarmament helps create security, and we commit to acting resolutely for a nuclear-weapons-free and less militarised world. We call on cities, parliaments, governments and civil society around the world to join us in this endeavour.

Endorsers:

The Basel Appeal for Disarmament and Sustainable Security is endorsed by the following legislators at local, state, national and regional levels (mayors and parliamentarians) and representatives of think tanks and civil society organisations working with legislators:

Mayors and city councillors/officials

Jon Askeland (Norway), Mayor of Radøy
Steve Benjamin (USA), Mayor of Columbia, South CarolinaPresident, United States Conference of Mayors
Jackie Biskupski (USA), Mayor of Salt Lake City, Utah
Cllr David Blackburn (United Kingdom), Chair of UK and Ireland Nuclear Free Local Authorities
James Brainard (USA) Mayor of Carmel, Indiana
Sharon Weston Broome (USA) Mayor of Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Mathias De Clercq (Belgium) Mayor of Ghent, Member Mayors for peace
Kirk Caldwell (USA) Mayor of Honolulu, Hawaii
Joe Coviello (USA) Mayor of Cape Coral, Florida
T.M. Franklin Cownie (USA)Mayor of Des Moines, Iowa Vice-President Mayors for Peace
Bálint Csontos (Switzerland) President Grüne Baselland, Municipal Council Ramlinsburg.
Jakob R. Day (USA) Mayor of Salisbury, Maryland
Cllr. Audrey Doig (Scotland) Member of the Renfrewshire City CouncilVice Convener of NFLA Scotland
Thor Edquist (Norway) Mayor of Halden
Jorge O. Elorza (USA) Mayor of Providence, Rhode Island
Stephanie Esswein (Germany) Mayor of Mutlangen
Cllr John Feely (Ireland) Vice Chair of Fermanagh and Omagh District Council
Karen M. Freeman-Wilson (USA) Mayor of Gary, Indiana
Cllr. Ernie Galsworthy (United Kingdom) Member, Merthyr Tydfil Local Council Chair, Nuclear Free Local Authorities Welsh Forum
Quentin M. Hart (USA) Mayor of Waterloo, Iowa
Philippe Hivert (France) Mayor of GrgnyChef de projet chargé de la promotion de la Culture de Paix,de l’Histoire et des Relations Internationales
Thorvald Hillestad (Norway) Mayor of Re
Cllr. June Hitchen (United Kingdom) Lord Mayor of Manchester, Vice-President of Mayors for Peace
Sylvester James (USA) Mayor of Kansas City, Missouri
Ivan Knez (Croatia) Mayor of Biograd na Moru. Vice-President of Mayors for Peace
Rick Kriseman (USA) Mayor of St. Petersburg, Florida
Alain Mathieu (France) Mayor of Lancy
Josep Mayoral (Spain) Mayor of Granollers. Vice-President of Mayors for Peace
Mark W. Mitchell (USA)Mayor of Tempe, Arizona
Cllr. Eddy Newman (United Kingdom) Manchester City Council representative
Richard Northey (New Zealand) Representing the Waitemata Local Board, Auckland, New Zealand
Lukas Ott (Switzerland) Former Member of parliament of the Canton of Basel-Landschaft, Former Mayor of Liestal
William Peduto (USA) Mayor of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Catherine E. Pugh (USA) Mayor of Baltimore, Maryland
Paul Quilès (France) Mayor of Cordes sur CielPrésident d’IDN (Initiatives pour le Désarmement Nucléaire), Former Defence Minister of France
Daniel Rossellat (Switzerland) Mayor of Nyon 
Stefan Schostok (Germany) Lord Mayor and CEO of HannoverVice-President of Mayors for Peace
Asle Schrøder (Norway) Mayor of Steigen
Odd Haktor Slåke (Norway) Mayor of Frogn
Richard Thomas (USA) Mayor of Mount Vernon, New York
Antonio Trebeschi (Italy) Sindaco di Collebeato (Mayor of Collebeato
Thore Vestby (Norway) Vice-President of Mayors for Peace
Nan Whaley (USA) Mayor of Dayton, Ohio

Parliamentarians (current and former)

Stephan Ackermann MP (Switzerland) Member, Baselland Landrat Canton parliament
Senator Byrganym Aitimova (Kazakhstan) Chair, Committee on Socio-Cultural Development and Science Council Member, Parliamentarians for Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament (PNND) Former Kazakhstan Ambassador to the United Nations in New York
Mani Shankar Aiyar (India) PNND Co-president Chair,
Rajiv Gandhi Action Group for a Nuclear-Weapon-Free Word
Aytuğ Atıcı MP (Turkey) PNND Council Member
Senator Ivana Bacik (Ireland) Leader of the Labour Party in the Senate Spokesperson on Communications, Climate Action and the Environment
Lisa Badum MdB (Germany) Spokesperson for Climate PolicyFraktion Bündnis 90/Die Grünen (German Green Party)
Petra Bayr MP (Austria) Chairwoman of the Development Policy Subcommittee. Executive Member of Parliamentarians for Global Action.
Claudia Beamish MSP (Scotland) Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change, Environment and Land
Iro Belluzzi MP (San Marino) Member, San Marino delegation to the Inter-Parliamentary Union
Pablo Bustinduy Amador MP, (Spain) Podemos Spokesperson in the Foreign Affairs Committee
Dr Isabelle Chevalley MP (Switzerland) Member, Swiss Parliament Commission on Education and Culture
Saber Chowdhury MP (Bangladesh)Honorary President of the Inter-Parliamentary UnionPNND Co-President
Tamati Coffey MP (New Zealand) Member, Committee on Economic Development, Science & Innovation Former TV Host, New Zealand’s Got Talent
Seán Crowe TD (Ireland) Sinn Féin Spokesperson on Foreign Affairs & Trade with special responsibility for International Affairs & Outreach
Don Davies, MP (Canada) Vice-Chair, House of Commons Standing Committee on Health Vice-Chair, Canada-China Legislative Association
Diether Dehm MdB (Germany) Chairperson, Subcommittee on Foreign Culture and Education Affairs
Paul Dewar (Canada) PNND Co-president Former Foreign Affairs Critic for the New Democratic Party
Linda Duncan MP (Canada) NDP International Development Critic
Pascal Durand, MEP (France)Member, European Parliament Committee on Constitutional Affairs 
Lars Egeland MP (Norway) Nei til Atomvåpen and member of NATO Parliamentary Assembly
Jill Evans MEP (United Kingdom) Former Vice-President of the Greens/European Free Alliance
Ute Finckh-Krämer (Germany)PNND Council Member, Former Deputy Chair of the German Parliament Subcommittee on Disarmament, Arms Control and Non-Proliferation
Davide Forcellini MP (San Marino) Member, San Marino delegation to the Inter-Parliamentary Union
Raphael Fuhrer (Switzerland) Member of parliament of the Canton of Basel-Stadt
Ana Gomes MEP (Portugal) Member of the European Parliament Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Subcommittee on Security and Defense.
Barbara Gysi MP (Switzerland)Vice-President of the Social Democratic Party
Edine von Herold (Costa Rica)PNND Alumni Council Member, Former Member of the Costa Rica Parliament
Jens Holm MP (Sweden)Member, Permanent Committee on European Union Affairs
Ottmar von Holtz MdB (Germany) Spokesperson of Bündnis 90/Die Grünen on Civil Conflict Prevention
Kelvin Hopkins MP (UK) Member, European Security Committee
Eva Joly, MEP (France) Vice Chair Committee Financial crimes, Tax evasion and Tax avoidance
Sadet Karabulut MP (Netherlands) Socialist Party Spokesperson, Foreign Affairs, Defense & Development
Katja Keul MdB (Germany) Spokesperson of Bündnis 90/Die Grünen on Disarmament Affairs
Bill Kidd MSP (Scotland) PNND Co-president Convenor, All-Party Group on Nuclear Disarmament
Sergey Kolesnikov MD (Russia) Co-President, IPPNW RussiaMember of the Duma, 2008-2014PNND Co-President, 2008-2015
Hélène Laverdière MP (Canada) NDP Foreign Affairs Critic
Maria Lazzarini MP (San Marino) Member, San Marino delegation to the Inter-Parliamentary Union
Senator Sue Lines (Australia) Deputy President of the Senate
Jan Logie MP (New Zealand) Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Justice (Sexual and Domestic Violence Issues).
Mogens Lykketoft MP (Denmark) Former Foreign Minister, President of the 70th Session of the United Nations General Assembly
Jacques-André Maire MP (Switzerland)
John Mason MSP (Scotland) Member of the Scottish Parliament for Glasgow Shettleston
Lisa Mazzone MP (Switzerland) Member, Swiss Parliament Commission on Legal Affairs and Security
Baroness Sue Miller (United Kingdom)Member of the UK House of Lords PNND Co-president
Fabian Molina MP (Switzerland) Member of the Foreign Affairs Committee
Marica Montemaggi (San Marino) Member, San Marino delegation to the Inter-Parliamentary Union
Christine Muttonen (Austria) PNND Co-president Former President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly
Margareta Kiener Nellen MP (Switzerland)Head, Swiss parliament delegation to the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, Chair, OSCEPA Committee for democracy, human rights and humanitarian questions
Senator David Norris (Ireland)Former Leader of the Seanad Independent Group
Marit Nybakk (Norway) PNND Co-President. President, Norwegian Association for Women’s RightsFormer Vice-President of the Norwegian Parliament, Former President of the Nordic Council
Bram van Ojik MP (Netherlands) Member, Foreign Affairs Committee and Netherlands delegation to the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, Netherlands Ambassador to Benin (2003-2006), Leader of the Greens Party (2012-2015)
Maureen O’Sullivan MP (Ireland)Member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Trade and Defence
Cem Özdemir MdB (Germany) Chair, Bundestag Committee on Transport and Digital Infrastructure, Member, Foreign Affairs Committee
Lilianne Ploumen MP (Netherlands) Labour Party Spokesperson on Foreign AffairsFounder, She Decides Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation (2012-2017)
Dr Sahar Qawasmi MP (Palestine) Member of the Palestinian Legislative CouncilGynaecologist at Al Mizan Hospital and New Life Centre.
Eva Quistorp (Germany)Former member of the European Parliament. Founder member of the Greens Party. Co-founder of Women for Peace Germany and Europe.
Rudolf Rechsteiner (Switzerland) President Ethos Foundation, Former Member of the Swiss National Assembly
Michèle Rivasi MEP (France) Member, Committee on the Environment, Public Health & Food Safety  Former Chair of Greenpeace France
Matt Robson (New Zealand)NZ affiliate of the International Association of Lawyers Against Nuclear Arms, Former New Zealand Minister for Disarmament and Arms Control
Douglas Roche O.C. (Canada) PNND Founding ChairpersonFormer Member of the Senate and House of Commons, Former Canada Disarmament Ambassador
Claudia Roth MP (Germany) Vice-President of the BundestagHead of German delegation to the Inter-Parliamentary Union
Manuel Sarrazin MdB (Germany) Spokesperson of Bündnis 90/Die Grünen on Eastern European Affairs
Jordi Solé MEP (Spain) Member, European Parliament Committee on Foreign Affairs
Biyika Lawrence Songa MP (Uganda) Board Chair, Green Alternatives and Peace Movement, Founder, Nilo-Saharan Institute
Bart Staes MEP (Belgium)Member, European Parliament Delegation for relations with the United States 
Jan Tinetti MP (New Zealand) Deputy Chair, Parliamentary Committee on Education and Workforce.
Mirko Tomassoni MP (San Marino)Captain Regent (Head of State) Head of Delegation to the Inter-Parliamentary Union
Erkki Tuomioja  MP (Finland) Social-Democratic Party
Mara Valentini MP (San Marino) Member, San Marino delegation to the Inter-Parliamentary Union
Bodil Valero MEP (Sweden) Member, EP Subcommittee on Security and Defence  Member, EP Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs
Kathleen Van Brempt MEP (Belgium) Member, EP Intergroup on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights Former Minister for Mobility, Social Economy and Equal Opportunities in the Flemish Government
Louisa Wall MP (New Zealand) Member Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee Member, NZ Women’s Rugby World Cup Champions 1998
Baroness Walmsley (United Kingdom) Co-Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrat Peers
Julie Ward MEP (United Kingdom)Member EP Committee on Culture and Education
Meka Whaitiri MP (New Zealand) Member, Committee on Maori Affairs
Poto Williams MP (New Zealand) Member, Economic Development, Science and Innovation Committee Assistant Speaker of Parliament
Uta Zapf (Germany) Former Member of the Bundestag (German Parliament)Former Chair, Bundestag Committee on Disarmament & Arms ControlInaugural Co-President of PNND
Gerhard Zickenheiner MdB (Germany), Member of the Advisory Committee on Sustainable Development Bündnis 90/ Die Grünen

Representatives of think-tanks and civil society organisations

Martin Almada (Paraguay) Human Rights Campaigner, Right Livelihood Award Laureate 2002
Edy Korthals Altes (Netherlands) Former Netherlands Ambassador Former President, Religions for Peace
Amplify (International) Board members of Amplify
John Scales Avery (Denmark) Chairman, Danish National Group of Pugwash
Wolfgang Biermann (Germany) Co-editor of transatlantic Appeal for Détente NOW!
Phon van den Biesen (Netherlands) Vice-President of the International Association of Lawyers Against Nuclear Arms (IALANA)
Roland Blach (Germany) Geschäftsführer, Deutsche Friedensgesellschaft -Vereinigte KriegsdienstgegnerInnen (DFG-VK) (Secretary, German peace society – United War Resisters)
Derman Boztok MD (Turkey) IPPNW International Councillor
John Burroughs (USA) Executive Director, Lawyers Committee on Nuclear Policy
Jackie Cabasso (USA) North American Coordinator, Mayors for Peace
Tad Daley (USA) Director of Policy Analysis, Citizens for Global Solutions  Jayantha Dhanapala (Sri Lanka)Former UN Under-Secretary-General for Disarmament Affairs 
Margaret Downs (United Kingdom) Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament – Oxford
Sérgio Duarte (Brazil) President of Pugwash Conferences on Science and World AffairsFormer United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Disarmament
Carlos Villan Duran (Spain) President, Spanish Society for International Human Rights Law
Edinburgh CND (United Kingdom) Board Members of Edinburgh CND
Daniel Ellsberg (USA) Right Livelihood Award Laureate 2006Olof Palme Award 2018
Scilla Elworthy (United Kingdom) Founder, Oxford Research Group and Peace Direct, Member, World Future Council
Gareth Evans (Australia), Former Foreign Minister of Australia; President Emeritus of International Crisis Group;  Co-chair of Australia-Japan International Commission on Nuclear Non=Proliferation and Disarmament
Jean-Jacques Fasnacht MD (Switzerland)President PSR/IPPNW Switzerland
Anwar Fazal (Malaysia) Right Livelihood Award (1982)
Marc Finaud (France/Switzerland) Senior Programme Advisor, Geneva
Centre for Security Policy
Andreas Alexander Fosby (Norway) President, Oslo Nei til Atomvåpen (No to Nuclear Weapons)
Mary-Ellen Francoeur (Canada)Pax Christi Toronto
Emilie Gaillard (France) Professor of environmental law at Sciences Po Rennes France Member, International Association of Lawyers Against Nuclear Arms
Yira Marcela Godoy Ortega (Switzerland) Founder and Director, Primavera de Paz/Printemps de Paix
Jonathan Granoff (USA) President, Global Security Institute
John Hallam (Australia) Chair, Human Survival ProjectPNND Australia Coordinator, Co-convenor, Abolition 2000 working group on reducing nuclear risks
Regina Hagen (Germany) Spokesperson, Abolition 2000 Germany
Marianne Hanson (Australia) Associate Professor of International Relations, School of Political Science & International Studies, The University of Queensland
David Hartsough (USA) Director, Peaceworkers Co-Founder, World Beyond War
Patrick Hiller (USA) Executive Director, War Prevention Initiative
Otto Jäckel (Germany) Chair, IALANA Germany
Bawa Jain (USA) Secretary General, World Council of Religious Leaders
Enkhsaikhan Jargalsaikhan (Mongolia) President, Blue BannerFormer Ambassador of Mongolia to the United Nations
Jana Jedličková (Czech Republic) Chair, PragueVision Institute for Sustainable Security
Brian Jones (Wales)Vice Chair, Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament CymruClaudio Knüsli MD (Switzerland) Board Member PSR Schweiz, the Swiss affiliate of International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War
Arailym Kubayeva (Germany) Project Coordinator, Friedenswerksatt Mutlangen e.V. (Peace Workshop Mutlangen)
Ida Kuklina (Russia) Union of the Committees of Soldiers Mothers of RussiaRight Livelihood Laureate 1996
Dominique Lalanne (France) Co-président Abolition des armes nucléaires-Maison de Vigilance
David Lowry (United Kingdom) Former director, European Proliferation Information Centre, London. Senior international Research Fellow, Institute for Resource and Security Studies, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
Luc Mampaey (Belgium) Directeur, Groupe de recherche et d’information sur la paix et la sécurité (GRIP)
Ramzy Mansour (Australia) Member, International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN)
Peggy Mason (Canada) President, the Rideau InstituteFormer Disarmament Ambassador for Canada
Jean-Marie Matagne (France) Président de l’Action des Citoyens pour le Désarmement Nucléaire
Kevin Miletic (United Kingdom) Project Manager, Strategic Concept for the Removal of Arms and Proliferation
Sean Morris (United Kingdom) Secretary, UK Nuclear Free Local Authorities
Jean Paul Nanfack (Cameroon) Executive Secretary, Africa Mayors for Peace and Development
Sarah Nash (USA) IHM Sisters Justice, Peace and Sustainability Office
Bent Natvig (Norway) Chairman, Norwegian Pugwash committee
Luisa Neubauer (Germany) Youth Climate Campaigner, Fossil Fuel Free Germany
Andres Nidecker MD (Switzerland) President of the Basel Peace OfficeBoard Member PSR Schweiz/Swiss IPPNW
General Bernard Norlain ret. (France) Vice-Président Initiatives pour le Désarmement Nucléaire
Marzhan Nurzhan (Kazakhstan) Coordinator, Abolition 2000 Youth Network PNND Coordinator for CIS Countries
Pere Ortega (Spain) Centre Delàs d’Estudis per la Pau
Frank Otto (Germany) Ambassador of the World Future Council
Michele Di Paolantonio MD (Italy) President, Associazione Italiana Medicina per la Prevenzione della Guerra Nucleare (IPPNW Italy)
Lorin Peters (USA)Pax Christi Northern California
Major Todd Pierce (USA) Dept of Defence Judge Advocate (retired) [Note: Endorsed in a personal capacity and does not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Army, Department of Defense, or the U.S. government].
Physicians for Global Survival (Canada) Board Members of PGS Canada
LeDayne McLeese Polaski (USA)Executive Director, Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America
Michel Prieur (France) Président du Centre International de Droit Comparé de l’Environnement
Guy Quinlan (USA) All Souls Nuclear Disarmament Task Force
Daniel Rietiker (Switzerland) Adj. Prof., International law & human rights, University of Lausanne President, Association of Swiss Lawyers for Nuclear Disarmament
Tony Rinaudo (Australia) Senior Adviser Food Security and Climate Change, World Vision, Right Livelihood Award Laureate 2018
Coleen Rowley (USA) Retired FBI agent, Former Minneapolis Division Legal Counsel, One of 3 “whistleblowers” named TIME Persons of the Year, 2002
Tom Sauer (Belgium) Professor International Politics, University of Antwerp, Member BoG Pax Christi FlandersMember, Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs
Jürgen Scheffran (Germany) Professor in Geography, University of HamburgCo-chair, International Network of Engineers and Scientists for Global Responsibility (INES)
Wolfgang Schlupp-Hauck (Germany) Campaign Officer, Campaign atomwaffenfrei.jetzt
Jennifer Allen Simons (Canada) Founder and President, The Simons Foundation Catharina van Staveren (Netherlands) Ambassador, International Cities of Peace
Heinz Stockinger (Austria) Nuclear-Free Future Award laureate 2011Chair, PLAGE – Independent Salzburg Platform Against Nuclear Hazards
Tim Street (United Kingdom) Associate Fellow, Sustainable Security Programme of the Oxford Research Group
Aaron Tovish (Mexico) Executive Director, Zone Libre
Carlo Trezza (Italy) Chair, Italian Section of the European Leadership Network Former Italy Ambassador for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation
Hiromichi Umebayashi (Japan) PNND East Asia Coordinator, Special Advisor, Peace Depot
Kenji Urata (Japan)Vice President, IALANA, Professor Emeritus, Waseda University
Achin Vanaik, Sukla Sen, N.D. Jayprakash, Lalita Ramdas and Anil Chaudhary (India), Coalition for Nuclear Disarmament and Peace
Václav Vítovec (Czech Republic)President of the Iron Curtain FoundationFounder of the ATOM Museum (former Soviet nuclear weapons depot)
Alexandra Wandel (Germany) Executive Director, World Future Council – Voice of Future Generations
Alyn Ware (Czech Republic) PNND Global Coordinator, Member, World Future Council
Elizabeth Waterston (United Kingdom) Coordinator, Medact Nuclear Weapons Group
Ann Wertheimer (Germany) Chair, American Voices Abroad Berlin
Cecili Thompson Williams (USA) Director, Beyond the Bomb
Lucas Wirl (Germany) Executive Director, International Association of Lawyers Against Nuclear Arms (IALANA)
Jean Pascal Zanders (Belgium) Director, The Trench
Paul Zeitz (USA)Founder, Build A Movement Angie Zelter (United Kingdom) Reforest the Earth, UKRight Livelihood Award Laureate 2001.

*) On January 24, 2019, the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists re-set the Doomsday Clock at 2 Minutes to Midnight indicating no improvement to the extreme risks to humanity from nuclear weapons and climate change.

Press release – January 29, 2019

Contacts:
Basel Peace Office: Prof (em) Andreas Nidecker MD. +41 76 557 3712 anidecker@bluewin.ch
Mayors for Peace Europe: Sean Morris. +44 7 771 930 196 s.morris4@manchester.gov.uk
Mayors for Peace North America: Jacqueline Cabasso +1 510 306-0119 wslf@earthlink.net
Parliamentarians for Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament: Alyn Ware +41 788 912 156 alyn@pnnd.org
World Future Council: Thies Kätow +49 163 776 7899 thies@pnnd.org

Mayors, parliamentarians, policy experts and civil society representatives from forty countries – mostly Europe and North America – today sent a joint appeal to Presidents Putin and Trump and to the leaders of the Russian and US legislatures, calling on them to preserve the Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, prevent a new nuclear arms race in Europe and undertake measures to reduce the risk of a nuclear conflict and support global nuclear disarmament.

‘We are extremely concerned about the deteriorating security environment in Europe and internationally which led the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists to last week re-set the Doomsday Clock at 2 Minutes to Midnight,’ says Christine Muttonen (Austria), Co-President of Parliamentarians for Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament.

The INF Treaty is an historic agreement reached in 1987 between the United States and the Soviet Union to eliminate all of their nuclear and conventional ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles with ranges of 500 to 5,500 kilometers, and to utilize extensive on-site inspections for verification of the agreement.

Following President Trump’s 20 October, 2018 announcement of his intent to withdraw the United States from the INF Treaty, the State Department has signaled that the US will suspend implementation of the treaty beginning 2 February 2019 and commence the six-month withdrawal process. If the Treaty is dissolved it would further stimulate the current nuclear arms race. In particular, it would open the door for intermediate-range, ground-based nuclear-armed missiles returning to Europe and for US deployment of such missiles in Asia.

‘Conflicts over the INF Treaty should be resolved through the Treaty, not by abandoning it. And other conflicts should be resolved through diplomacy and common security mechanisms such as the United Nations and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE),’ said Ms Muttonen, who recently served as the President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly. ‘They cannot be resolved by elevating nuclear threats and ratchetting up the arms race.’

‘Mayors and parliamentarians, especially those of us from Europe, will not sit idly on the side while the US and Russia erode our security,’ said Thore Vestby (Norway), Vice-President of Mayors for Peace and a former member of the Norwegian parliament. ‘Cities and parliaments are therefore taking action to support nuclear arms control treaties such as the INF and START treaties, promote additional measures such as no-first-use and the new Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, and to put an end to city and state investments in nuclear weapons corporations.’

‘Legislators in nuclear armed States have a specific role to prevent authorization and funding for new more sophisticated and usable nuclear weapons that increase the risk of destruction of humanity by accident, miscalculation or intent,’ said Paul Quiles (France), Mayor of Cordes sur Ciel, President of Initiatives pour le Désarmement Nucléaire, and Former Defence Minister of France.

‘The fact that the President of the US Conference of Mayors is among 18 US mayors who endorsed on short notice is a significant indicator that ‘Main Street USA’ opposes the Administration’s destabilizing and expensive nuclear weapons program and supports proactive efforts to achieve a nuclear-weapon-free world’’ said Frank Cownie, Mayor of Des Moines, Iowa and Vice-President of Mayors for Peace.

‘Nuclear weapons and climate change pose an existential threat to current and future generations,’ says Dr Andreas Nidecker MD (Switzerland), President of the Basel Peace Office. ‘The massive amount of spending in nuclear weapons – over $100 billion per year – should instead be spent in areas which increase our security – such as diplomacy, climate protection and the Sustainable Development Goals.’

‘Diplomacy is starting to work on the Korean peninsula with North and South building cultural, sporting and other contacts despite their political differences,’ said Alyn Ware (Czech Republic), PNND Global Coordinator and Member of the World Future Council. ‘We give full support to the Korean peace and denuclearization process and we call on US, NATO and Russia to follow a similar diplomatic approach with regard to their conflicts, and to help achieve global nuclear disarmament.’

TFF recommends further reading

Deutsche Well, Escalation threat…

US Congressional Research Sevice, Russian Compliance with the INF Treaty

Russian deputy foreign minister Sergey Ryabkov’s briefing on the INF Treaty

Jonathan Power, Trump is building up the US’ nuclear firepower

  Basel Appeal on Disarmament, INF, INF Treaty, INF Treaty endangered, intermediate range missiles, Mayors for Peace, NATO and nuclear weapons, Nulcear weapons in Europe, START negotiations, US threatens to drop INF