CND visits fifteen embassies
Campaigners challenge governments on nuclear disarmament
Members of the Christian Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CCND), including Friends, have called on fifteen London-based embassies to ask what steps their countries are taking towards achieving international nuclear disarmament. CCND’s action, on 1 March, comes ahead of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference, due to take place in New York in May. The NPT commits the first five nuclear weapons states – the USA, Russia, the UK, France and China – to ‘pursue negotiations in good faith on effective measures relating to cessation of the nuclear arms race’.
At the US Embassy, the campaigners were able to meet with the first political secretary, Chris Palmer. He affirmed Barrack Obama’s commitment to arms control measures through negotiations with Russia, but made no specific promises.
At the Mexican Embassy, Susana Garduño, multilateral affairs commissioner, emphasised her country’s membership of the New Agenda Coalition of states, pursuing disarmament through both regional and international non-proliferation negotiations.
‘Our liaison with the nuclear-related countries is crucial for finding out their position on disarmament and urging further progress towards the elimination of nuclear weapons,’ said Michael Pulham, co-chair of CCND.
Chris Wood is a Quaker Peace and Social Witness peace worker and works at Christian CND.
