Antinuclear

Tilman Ruff speaks for a nuclear-free S.E. Asia

Australia warned to brace for arms race By Timothy McDonald for ABC Radio The World Today 14 Dec 09 “………Dr Lyons says ………. Australia cannot rule anything out, including the nuclear option.

Dr Lyons says ………. Australia cannot rule anything out, including the nuclear option.

………Associate Professor Tilman Ruff, the chair of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, says the idea is foolish.

“I think it would be extremely regrettable and really very stupid and dangerous for Australia to flirt again with the idea of developing its own nuclear weapons,” he said.

“It would completely undermine our creditability on nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation and it would remove any shred of justification or credibility for arguing that other states either should disarm or shouldn’t develop their own nuclear weapons.”

He says Australia should focus on preventing proliferation in the first place.

“What the response you have described is, in a sense, hastening that development rather than seeking to avoid it,” he said.

“It is worth saying that the ASEAN countries have already formed a South-East Asia nuclear weapons free zone at Mongolia.

“There are serious proposals in North-East Asia for a North-East Asia nuclear weapons free zone supported by the new Japanese government.

“There are lots of positive developments in the region.”

December 15, 2009 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | AUSTRALIA - NATIONAL, politics international | antinuclear, Australia, nuclear, nuclear weapons