South Asians Against Nukes
- February 5, 2008
Nagpur
Declaration
The Third National
Convention of Coalition for Nuclear Disarmament and Peace
·
Resist Indo-US Nuclear Deal!
·
Free South Asia Of Nuclear Danger!
·
Abolish Nuclear Weapons Worldwide Now!
·
Resist Mindless Drive for Nuclear Power!
The
Third National Convention of the Coalition for Nuclear Disarmament and
Peace (CNDP), India is held from 1st to 3rd February 2008 in Nagpur,
which has a glorious tradition of mobilising for peace and justice. The
two earlier conventions were held in Jaipur in 2004 November and in
Delhi four years earlier. It bears reiteration that the CNDP was
founded to consolidate the nationwide protests conducted in response to
the May 1998 nuclear weapon tests by India, and then Pakistan. The CNDP
opposes these tests and the acquisition of nuclear weapons by any
country including India. It may be recalled that the era of nuclear
threat began with the mindless atomic bombings of the cities of
Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the USA on 6th and 9th August 1945.
We, the assembled delegates at the Convention representing the peace
movements in India and coming from various corners of the country, most
emphatically reaffirm our firm conviction in reaffirmation of the
Jaipur Declaration and our foundational Charter 2000: "Nuclear weapons
are means of mass destruction regardless of who wields them. They are
weapons of genocide. They can impose horrendous suffering on victims
across generations. They destroy the ecosystem. The damage they do is
lasting and incurable. The sheer scale and character of the devastation
they can cause makes them a profound and distinctive evil. For this and
other reasons, the possession, use, or threat of use of nuclear weapons
is absolutely immoral." We also with equal emphasis reemphasise "that
the use, threat of use, or possession of, and even preparation for
making, nuclear weapons is immoral, illegal, and politically
unacceptable under "any circumstances"." Not only that, "nuclear
deterrence" is absolutely "abhorrent to human sentiment since it
implies that a state if required to defend its own existence will act
with pitiless disregard for the consequences to its own and its
adversary's people.''
We again note with great concern the
profoundly destabilising effects of the nuclear blasts in May 98. These
have been most graphically and irrefutably demonstrated through an
extremely dangerous (undeclared) border war in less than a year
followed by a ten month long eyeball to eyeball massive confrontation
all along the international border and the LoC. These confrontations
were laden with the very real threats of nuclear exchange. Despite this
experience and much opposition from the peace movements and civil
society, the rulers of these two resource-starved countries persist
with their pernicious nuclear weapons programmes, which are a tragic
diversion from addressing vital social needs. Though there have been no
further blasts since 1998, in the teeth of massive waves of
international censure, the continuing flight tests of the Agni and Hatf
missiles show that the race for developing nuclear warhead carrying
missiles goes on unabated.
The recent political turmoil
in Pakistan has graphically underscored the horrifying
possibilities of nuclearisation of South Asia spearheaded by India's
ugly ambitions. Nevertheless, the most dangerous development since
the last CNDP convention has been the Indo-US Nuclear Deal, which is
(still) in the process of operationalisation. Starting with the July 18
2005 joint statement issued by George Bush – Manmohan Singh in
Washington DC, the process of trying to fashion and complete a deal has
aggravated the nuclear danger both globally and also regionally. It, on
the one hand, severely undermines the prospects of global nuclear
disarmament by (selectively and arbitrarily) legitimising India's
nuclear status and, in the process, the possession of nuclear weapons
by the existing Nuclear Weapon States – both recognised and
unrecognised - and also the aspirations of other actual and potential
aspirants. On the other, it would also further intensify the arms race
between India and Pakistan – both nuclear and conventional. Pakistan,
in fact, made a strong plea for a similar deal. And the brusque refusal
by the US, instead of dissuading it, would only further inflame its
passions and thereby turn the dangerous nuclear mess in South Asia all
the more dangerous. Furthermore, the consequent shift in focus in
favour of highly expensive nuclear power, as and when and if at all the
deal comes into operation, will significantly distort India's energy
options at the cost of efforts to develop environmentally benign and
renewable sources of energy. This deal is also an utterly reprehensible
move to bring India closer to the US orbit as a regional ally to
facilitate the execution of its global imperial ambitions. The CNDP
remains unwavering in its consistent and high-pitched opposition to
this deal.
With this deeply disturbing background in mind, the Convention further resolves as under:
I.
Nuclear Weapons Free Region in South Asia
The CNDP, in active
collaboration with other peace movements in the South Asian region and
the Pakistan Peace Coalition in particular, will work towards a
Nuclear Weapons Free Region in South Asia. It will also try to
promote the idea of Nepal as a 'nuclear weapon-free-nation' on the
lines of Mongolia and Austria to initiate and reinforce move in that
direction. CNDP will also similarly work towards declaration of
the whole of erstwhile state of Kashmir, both under Indian and
Pakistani control, as a zone of peace.
This move is expected to
provide a clear focus and strong momentum to the peace movements in the
region and reinforce the forces of peace and radically bring down the
nuclear danger by working on a concrete and workable action plan. This
is also expected to deeply affect the global mindset and provide a
strong, if not decisive, push towards universal nuclear disarmament –
our central and abiding goal
A regional convention of the peace
activists from the region will be convened in the near future to
work out a collective charter.
II.
Global Convention on Nuclear Disarmament
The CNDP, in tandem
with the essence of Rajiv Gandhi action plan for "A World Free of
Nuclear Weapons" - which was submitted to the United Nations on June 9
1988, will work towards a global disarmament convention, under the
auspices of the UN, in collaboration with global peace movements
towards this objective. The CNDP, in this context, notes with serious
concern the total eclipse from the agenda of the UN of the McCloy-Zorin
accord on general and complete Disarmament, which had been adopted by
the United nations General Assembly on December 20 1961.The CNDP urges
the UN to forthwith reinitiate action on the same.
The projected
global disarmament convention would chart out a clear and
unambiguous road-map towards universal, complete and non-discriminatory
nuclear disarmament within a defined time-frame. This would also
enforce, in the run up to the final goal, all nuclear weapon states –
declared and undeclared, immediately commence on progressively lowering
down the operating statuses of their nuclear weapons, continue with the
moratorium on explosive nuclear tests, freeze the programmes for
developments of upgraded nuclear warheads and delivery/interception
systems, freeze production of fissile materials, provide negative
security assurance to all non-nuclear states outside of any "nuclear
umbrella", credibly commit to "no-first-strike" and such other measures
in consonance with the goal of nuclear disarmament.
The CNDP
will proactively coordinate with various sections of global anti-nuke
peace movements and unwaveringly work towards this goal.
III.
Intensification of Struggles against Ignoring Safety and Hazardous
Impact of Nuclear Power
The, yet to be operationalised, Indo-US
nuclear deal has radically fired up the fantasies of the Indian nuclear
establishment. Undeterred by its appalling past performance in terms of
power production and also safety records, it is all set to embark upon
a very ambitious plan of setting up mega nuclear plants dotting the
entire coastal belt criminally unmindful of severely traumatic social
and potentially disastrous ecological impacts. The CNDP, in keeping
with its consistent track record and the mandates of its founding
Charter, will actively collaborate with the grassroots people's
movements, many of whom are its constituent members, to resist such
mindless moves – singularly lacking in transparency and accountability,
and provide all necessary and possible assistances in this regard.
IV.
Demand for End of US Occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan, Just
Resolution of the Palestine Issue to Ensure Global Peace and Facilitate
Nuclear Disarmament
The ugly ambitions of the US ruling elite to
establish its unilateral dominance over the whole of the globe by
foregrounding its awesome military might, including its nuclear
arsenal, to compensate for the increasing inadequacies of its otherwise
huge diplomatic/political clout and economic muscles has emerged as the
most major threat to the prospects of global nuclear disarmament.
The wars on and occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan are vital components
of this grand project, also known as the Project for the New American
Century (PNAC). The continuing US support for the apartheid Zionist
regime of Israel and its inhuman oppression of the Palestinian people
is just another facet of this ugly venture.
Consistent with the
goal of global nuclear disarmament, the CNDP demands immediate
withdrawal of occupation forces from Iraq and Afghanistan. The CNDP
also solidarises with the legitimate struggles of the Palestinian
people. The CNDP consequently commits itself to actively associate, in
all possible manners, with all global, regional and local moves in
these directions.
V.
Other Related Issues
The CNDP clearly recognises that the spurts
in national-chauvinist, majoritarian and militarist ideologies and
political practices under whatever political banner, and the state at
times playing a role of an active facilitator, by their very nature
pose a major threat to anti-nuclear peace movements in India.
The
CNDP hence rededicates itself to fight all these pernicious tendencies
in all its manifestations in collaboration with other forces fighting
for a just, peaceful and harmonious order.
Consistent with its
core values, the CNDP reiterates its demand that Indo-Pak peace process
be accelerated. It also demands visa-free travel facilities all over
the SAARC region towards this goal. It furthermore demands 10%
progressive cuts in the so-called "defence" budgets of all the
countries in the region. The CNDP commits itself to ally itself with
all regional efforts towards these goals.
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