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UNITED NATIONS VOTE ON NUCLEAR WEAPONS Assosciation of World Citizens, San Francisco, CA USA Contact: Douglas Mattern
Tel: 415-541-9610 The Association of World Citizens (AWC) in San Francisco and Nuclear Flashpoints in Sydney, Australia, produced a resolution endorsed by 44 Nobel Laureates that calls for the immediate removal of the thousands of U.S and Russian strategic nuclear warheads that are on a hair-trigger alert, ready for launch in a few minutes notice. The RAND Corporation think tank concluded these weapons would destroy both countries in an hour. The resolution was submitted to governments around the world, with New Zealand responding with interest. Two years after initiating this project, the United Nations General Assembly Committee on Disarmament took up this issue through a resolution submitted by the New Zealand Government calling for the immediate removal of nuclear weapons from hair-trigger to reduce the threat of nuclear war initiated by accident. 124 countries voted in favor of the NZ resolution. Voting NO were United States, UK, and France. China abstained and Russia did not vote. The AWC/Nuclear Flashpoints resolution with the 44 Nobel Laureates was mentioned by several delegates during debate at the UN, and our resolution was noted by New Zealand as being helpful in building support for the their resolution that was adopted. The Bush administration not only rejected this important resolution, but Christina Rocca, the U.S. representative to the United Nations Conference on Disarmament, told UN delegates: "U.S. nuclear forces are not and have never been on hair-trigger alert. " Her comment drew immediate criticism. "It's plain wrong," said Hans Kristensen, director of nuclear information at the Federation of American Scientists. "There are forces on alert, and whether they are on 'hair-trigger alert' or 'launch on warning,' they are capable of launching in minutes." Dr, Bruce Blair, president of the World Security Institute, and a former Minuteman Missile Launch Officer, said the United States and Russia keep about one-third of their strategic arsenals on launch-ready alert and that "hundreds of missiles armed with thousands of nuclear warheads can be launched within a very few minutes. There has been long history of denying U.S. forces are on 'hair-trigger alert' . . ." Blair said. "Some of that is based on lack of knowledge, and some of it is an evasion, and some of it is just an outright lie." The NO vote by the Bush Administration and the outright lie about not having nuclear warheads on hair-trigger is an insult to the American people and the world community. Now we are encouraging people to demand the Bush Administration change their policy on hair-trigger. In addition we are urging people to not to vote for any candidate running for Congress or President unless they present a detailed strategy to end the nuclear threat and achieve a world free of nuclear weapons. The Nobel Laureates endorsing our resolution included eight that received the peace prize, 13 for Medicine, 13 for Chemistry, 9 for Physics, and one for Economics Below is the full list of the Nobel Laureates endorsing the AWC/Nuclear Flashpoints resolution: HH The Dalai Lama, (Peace) Bishop Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo, (Bishop of Loriu, Peace 1996) Mairead Corrigan Maguire,(Peace 1976) Jose Ramos Horta, (Peace 1996) Dr Joseph Rotblat, (Peace 1995) Oscar Arias Sanchez,(Peace 1987) Archbishop Desmond Tutu, (Peace 1984) Betty Williams, (Peace 1976) Dr Alexei Abrikosov,(Physics 2003) Dr Kenneth Arrow, (Economics 1972) Dr Baruj Benacerraf ,(Medicine 1980) Dr Guenter Blobel, (Medicine 1999) Dr Johan Diesenhofer,(Chemistry 1988) Dr Peter C. Doherty, (Medicine 1996) Dr R.R. Ernst, (Chemistry 1991) Dr John B. Fenn, (Chemistry 2002) Dr Edmond H. Fischer , (Medicine 1992) Dr Jerome I. Friedman, (Physics 1990) Dr Val L. Fitch,(Physics 1980) Dr Robert Guillemin,(Medicine) Dr Herbert A. Hauptman, (Chemistry 1985) Dr Dudley Herschbach,(Chemistry 1986) Dr Roald Hoffman , (Chemistry 1981) Dr Gerardus 't Hooft,(Physics 1999) Dr David H. Hubel ,(Medicine 1981) Dr Brian Josephson, (Physics) Dr Arthur Kornberg ,(Medicine 1959) Sir Harry Kroto, (Chemistry 1996) Dr Paul C. Lauterburg,(Medicine 2003) Dr Leon M. Lederman , (Physics 1988) Dr Jean-Marie Lehn, (Chemistry 1987) Dr Marshall Nirenberg, (Medicine 1968) Dr Mario Molina, (Chemistry 1995) Dr Kary Mullis, (Chemistry 1993) Dr Ferid Murad, (Medicine 1998) Dr John C. Polanyi, (Chemistry 1986) Dr Richard Roberts, (Medicine) Dr Frederick Sanger, (Chemistry 1958, 1980) Dr Jack Steinberger, (Physics 1998) Sir John Sulton, (Medicine 2002) Dr E. Donnall Thomas, (Medicine 1990) Dr Martinus Veltman, (Physics 1999) Frank Wilczek, (Physics 2004) Dr Kurt Wuthrich (Chemistry 2002) The UN Press Release 1 November 2007 General Assembly Department of Public Information * News and Media Division * New York CONCERNED ABOUT HIGH-ALERT STATUS OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS, GENERAL ASSEMBLY WOULD CALL FOR DECREASE IN OPERATIONAL READINESS, BY NEW DRAFT APPROVED IN FIRST COMMITTEE Concerned that, notwithstanding the end of the cold war, several thousand nuclear weapons remained on high alert [hair-trigger] ready to be launched within minutes, the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) today approved a new draft resolution that would have the General Assemblycall for further practical steps to decrease the operational readiness of nuclear weapons systems, with a view to ensuring that all nuclear weapons were removed from high alert status. Originally sponsored by Chile, New Zealand,
Nigeria, Sweden The Committee approved the draft resolution
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