Antinuclear

Insincere and hollow – Australia’s talk of nuclear disarmament

Australia’s talk of nuclear disarmament insincere and hollow, Castlemaine Independent  7 October, 2013 The former Labor government in effect abandoned its advocacy of nuclear disarmament because it considered continued reliance on “extended nuclear deterrence” provided by the US an essential foundation for Australian defence strategy, according to diplomatic documents released under freedom-of-information laws.

Australian officials are also planning to work against humanitarian organisations campaigning for a global ban on nuclear weapons.

Declassified diplomatic cables, emails and briefings show the Australian government refused to endorse an 80-nation statement delivered at this year’s non-proliferation treaty meeting in Geneva in April because it included a reference to an International Red Cross resolution that highlighted “the incalculable human suffering associated with any use of nuclear weapons”.

Australian officials considered this reference to be part of a campaign to delegitimise the possession of nuclear weapons, including by the US.

The documents, obtained by a disarmament advocacy group the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, provide a detailed account of how Australian diplomats worked behind the scenes to oppose international moves to open negotiations for a global nuclear weapons ban while the Australian government continued to publicly express support for the ultimate goal of a world free of nuclear weapons.

……….The Australian director of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, Tim Wright, expressed disappointment that Australian diplomats hoped to undermine efforts to ban nuclear weapons.

“Australia cannot credibly advocate nuclear disbarment while claiming that US nuclear weapons guarantee our security or prosperity. Not only is this a ludicrous notion, it is also a dangerous one because it signals to other nations that nuclear weapons are useful and necessary,” Mr Wright said.

“These declassified exchanges between government officials clearly demonstrate that Australia’s talk of nuclear disarmament has been insincere and hollow.”http://www.castlemaineindependent.org/2013/10/australias-talk-nuclear-disarmament-insincere-hollow/

October 11, 2013 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | Uncategorized