60 years since Hiroshima
Appeal to ban nuclear weapons

Sixty years have elapsed since atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, one of the greatest tragedies in history. The global cry for “No more Hiroshima – No more Nagasaki” is not just the denunciation of a hideous crime. It is a universal reminder and warning.

Despite the end of the Cold War, the nuclear threat persists. While nuclear stockpiles remain, new nuclear weapons, the so-called “mini-nukes”, are planned to suit the “pre-emptive strikes» doctrine. The danger of proliferation is increasing, following the failure of the NPT Review Conference of the UN last May in New York due mainly to the negative attitude of the US. In addition, the Bush administration refuses to ratify the Complete Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) and is busy pushing forward its plans to deploy nuclear weapons in outer space.

There has been a new shift towards militarism on a world scale as is evidenced by the fact that world military spending exceeded 1 trillion dollars in 2004. This is an offence against the needs of humanity, given the fact that only 5% of this amount annually would be sufficient to meet the “Millennium Goals” of the United Nations.

In the present world situation, commemorating the 60th anniversary of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki combined with the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II contains an urgent message about the need to step up the global struggle for a world without nuclear weapons, war or violence.

We demand full respect of the Non Proliferation Treaty, both by the nuclear powers and all the non-nuclear state, which requires a course towards a nuclear weapons free world.

We say “No” to the nuclear “first use” and “pre-emptive wars” doctrines.

We call on the US government to ratify the Complete Test Ban Treaty and we say “no” to the militarization of the outer space.

We demand the immediate removal of the 480 remaining US nuclear weapons from European soil, as a step towards a nuclear free Europe.

We subscribe to the Appeal of Hiroshima and Nagasaki aiming at the total elimination of nuclear weapons by the year 2020.