|
WASHINGTON
- April 25 - As participants from around the world gather at the United Nations for a
month-long conference to review the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, the
following policy analysts are available for interviews:
JACQUELINE CABASSO, (212) 818-1861, wslf@earthlink.net,
http://www.abolition2000.org
Executive director of the Western States Legal Foundation, Cabasso is at
the UN conference in New York. She said today: "The U.S. is doing a big PR
blitz trying to convince the rest of the world that it is in compliance with
Article VI of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which requires the
nuclear powers to negotiate the end of the arms race and the elimination of
nuclear weapons. In 1995, the NPT was extended with the understanding that
the nuclear powers would implement the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty and
systematic nuclear disarmament. The U.S. signed the CTBT in 1996, but the
Senate has not ratified it and there have not been systematic efforts for
disarmament by the U.S. Meanwhile, Russia just approved the CTBT and
START II, and suggests going down very quickly to 1,500 strategic deployed
warheads. The U.S. has rejected this, saying it would not go below 2,500,
and has plans to go forward with National Missile Defense. Russia has said
that if that happens, it will withdraw from all arms control treaties. China
has made similar statements. It's an incredibly high-stakes game of nuclear
poker."
JOHN BURROUGHS, (212) 818-1861, lcnp@lcnp.org, http://www.lcnp.org
Executive director of the Lawyers' Committee on Nuclear Policy, Burroughs
is also at the conference. He said today: "The U.S. is on the defensive
because of the recent Russian ratification of the CTBT and approval of START
II. There's near-universal condemnation of the U.S. plans for systems that
would supposedly shoot down incoming missiles. Russia and the U.S. should
be talking about reducing and eliminating all their warheads -- short-range
and
reserve as well as long-range. Instead, START II and START III, if they are
ever implemented, would still allow each side thousands of warheads in
addition to the 2,000 to 3,500 deployed on long-range missiles and bombers.
While the NPT requires that the U.S. move towards abolishing nuclear
weapons, Presidential Decision Directive 60, adopted in November 1997,
affirms that the U.S. will continue to rely on nuclear arms as a cornerstone
of its national security for the 'indefinite future'; the administration's
own pronouncements show that it is in violation of the NPT."
JAY TRUMAN, (208) 776-5903, hermit@downwinders.org, http://www.downwinders.org
Founder and director of the Downwinders organization, Truman was born in
Southern Utah in 1951. As a child living downwind of the Nevada Test Site,
he watched more than 30 atomic blasts. For the past 33 years, he has been
engaged in research and advocacy for all persons exposed to radiation from
nuclear activities. Today he said: "The low value that the U.S. government
gives to this important meeting is illustrated by the president and vice
president skipping the meeting, but instead going to a fundraiser nearby. At
the UN, Secretary of State Madeleine Albright claimed that the U.S. was the
world leader in the quest for nuclear disarmament. But the Russians just
passed the Comprehensive Test Ban Treat and START II. They are proposing
substantially cutting down the number of nuclear weapons, while the U.S.
refuses. We have a lot of explaining to do."
###
|
