NUCLEAR ARMS ABOLITION MOVEMENT PRESS CONFERENCE

Press Briefing

NUCLEAR ARMS ABOLITION MOVEMENT PRESS CONFERENCE

A petition of more than 13 million signatures in support of a campaign calling for the abolition of nuclear weapons was initiated in Japan by a second-generation Hiroshima survivor, a representative of Soka Gakkai International, Andrew Gebert, said at a Headquarters press conference today.

Earlier, a copy of the petition, in support of the Abolition 2000 Campaign, was presented to Deputy Secretary-General Louise Fréchette by Soka Gakkai International, a Buddhist peace organization. The President of the Non-Governmental Organization's Committee on Disarmament, Vernon Nichols, a representative from the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, which is sponsoring the Abolition 2000 International Petition, also spoke to correspondents.

The petition calls for a de-alerting of all nuclear weapons, a signed treaty by the year 2000 for the phased elimination of nuclear weapons, and a re-allocation of resources from military purposes to human needs.

The signature-gathering effort was begun in September 1997, when Hiroshi Ito, the son of a Hiroshima victim, began speaking to his friends, Mr. Gebert said. The campaign by Soka Gakkai members spread very quickly throughout Japan. Another 75,000 signatures were collected from Australia, Italy, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. While the number of signatures was very impressive, they actually represented many times, this number of one-to-one discussions on peace and disarmament, he observed.

Mr. Gebert said the Deputy Secretary-General described the 13 million signatures as an eloquent testimony to the commitment of young Japanese people. She said the petition was a wonderful example of civic engagement and that the time had come for people to realize they were citizens of the world.

Soka Gakkai began its grass roots peace activities in 1957, Mr. Gebert said, with a declaration by the organization's second president, Josei Toda, who had been jailed for two years for his opposition to Japanese militarism during World War II. In his declaration, Mr. Toda was one of the first to call for the abolition of nuclear weapons -- a call rooted in the dignity and inviolability of human life.

According to Mr. Gebert, the declaration described nuclear weapons as an impermissible assault on the most fundamental of human rights -- the right of survival. Mr. Toda had urged practical action to eliminate nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction. He had also urged young people to take up the challenge, from the spiritual perspective of a Buddhist organization, and struggle against the violence and destructiveness inherent in the human heart. Soka Gakkai's peace activities had always had two dimensions: a practical one focusing on peace education and another which aimed to build the defence of peace in the hearts of people, Mr. Gebert added.

Nuclear Press Conference - 2 - 26 October 1998

Mr. Nichols said the signatures were the kind of citizen action encouraged by his organization, a global network of nearly 1,100 citizen action groups in over 75 countries. The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation called on all governments, especially the nuclear weapons States, to commit to ending the nuclear threat by withdrawing all nuclear weapons from foreign soil and international waters; separating warheads from delivery vehicles; and committing to unconditional "no first use" of nuclear weapons. It also called for the signature of an international treaty -- a nuclear-weapons convention by the year 2000 -- agreeing to the phased elimination of all nuclear weapons within a fixed period of time; and a reallocation of resources from military purposes to ensure a sustainable global future.

He said the signatures showed the strength of peoples' hopes and prayers for peace and the abolition of nuclear weapons as a vital component of that peace. Other important steps included abolition appeals by retired generals and admirals; and the 9 June call for the abolition of nuclear weapons by the eight nations in the New Agenda Coalition.

A correspondent asked what chance there was of achieving the goal of abolishing nuclear weapons by the year 2000. Mr. Nichols said that, unfortunately, the goal was far off. However, it was important to keep the date, as the issue was too important to be put off. The Abolition 2000 Campaign was seeking to persuade governments to join their effort.

Mr. Gebert said the landmines movement had demonstrated how an idea whose time had come could change the action of governments and shape the course of events in unpredictable ways. People needed goals and timetables to take action.

In response to a query about the impact of the 13 million signatures, Mr. Nichols said the effort in Japan had encouraged people in other countries and several million more signatures were being collected.

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