Det danske Fredsakademi
Kronologi over fredssagen og international politik 27. August 2004 / Timeline August 27, 2004
Version 3.526. August 2004, 28. August 2004
08/27/2004
Arbejdermuseet i Rømersgade i København
genåbner efter en omfattende resturering med en Herluf Bidstrup
udstilling. Samtidig genåbnes Arbejderbevægelsens
Bibliotek og Arkiv.
08/27/2004
The Unofficial RNC Media Guide
You might how noticed that the big three TV stations haven't done
much with convention coverage this year. Nothing, in fact. They
claim that the convention is so scripted that it's nearly worthless
to the average viewer. Luckily, the folks at MediaChannel.org don't
agree. And to help out the independent journalists striving to find
the real stories in New York, they've created this handy and
insightful unofficial media guide. It has sources, protest
informationeven restaurants. Even if you're not going to be in
the Big Apple, the guide is a fascinating look at how the media
should be working at a convention.
08/27/2004
Mordechai Vanunu Speaks about Space Weapons and Nuclear
Weapons
Background:
Mordechai Vanunu was a technician at Dimona, Israel's secret
nuclear facility, from 1976 to 1985. He discovered nuclear weapons
were being secretly produced and in 1986 he leaked photos and
information to the London Sunday Times showing Israel had
stockpiled about 200 hundred nuclear warheads, with no
authorization from its parliament or citizens. At that time Israel
was insisting it would not introduce nuclear weapons to the Middle
East. Vanunu was kidnapped by the Israeli Mossad in Italy and
returned to Israel for a secret trial. He spent 18 years in prison,
including 11 years in solitary confinement. After completing his
sentence he was released in April 2004 and ordered not to speak to
foreigners or leave the country. He has received death threats and
has been given refuge at the Anglican cathedral of St George's in
East Jerusalem.
An American member of the Global Network Against Weapons and
Nuclear Power in Space (see www.space4peace.org) was visiting the
West Bank and East Jerusalem. Vanunu agreed to speak with the GN
member, defying his court order, and gave permission for his
interview to be distributed on the Internet.
Interview:
Question: Are you familiar with plans to move the arms race into
space?
Vanunu: Yes, this is open information that was available to read
from the news media and was available to me in the prison years. I
knew about the Cassini case and now I know about the new initiative
by George Bush to develop nuclear weapons for the space program.
This was also worked on in the Clinton administration. George Bush
raised it again. I hope this program will not materialize and not
be developed. We don't have any enemies in space and the US does
not have any enemies. We don't need any nuclear weapons in space or
any nuclear race in space.
Question: Do you feel weapons in space are dangerous?
Vanunu: Yes! We don't need nuclear weapons in space! We are alive
to see space and enjoy the sky, not to be frightened from the sky.
People should raise their eyes and look to the sky and heavens and
enjoy and feel God and the love of God, not to fear nuclear
weapons. No other state should follow the US and play this game of
weapons in space.
Question: Are you familiar with the nuclear power reactors that are
planned to be used in provide power for space-based weapons?
Vanunu: No, I don't know much about this, only some things I've
read. Cassini was a spacecraft with a reactor working with
plutonium.
Question: Are you familiar with the joint Israeli/US system to
create a missile defense system called the Arrow system? This would
give, they say, both a sword, as a weapon, and a shield, as a
defense, to Israel.
Vanunu: Yes, I heard about this. In the last two days the latest
Arrow test failed. Israel tries to create an environment that it
needs missiles, enemies to fight, all this propoganda to keep up
the race, to develop these nuclear weapons and a new generation of
missiles. They encourage and push other states like India, Pakistan
and Iran to follow. We should tell them and tell Israel that we,
the world, are living in a new age, a new century, post-Cold War.
The last century had a lot of weapons and wars. This century should
be century of peace and disarmament of all kinds of weapons. All
missiles should be destroyed. We need to have a new century of
peace, of human beings living in peace that don't need any kinds of
weapons. No is going to fight Israel and no one is going to fight
the United States. The human race needs to learn to live in peace
and to work together. We don't need any weapons.
Question: What are the enormous military expenditures over time are
doing to the Israeli economy?
Vanunu: Thirty percent and more, maybe fifty percent of the Israeli
budget is for defense. All this money on defense is coming from not
giving to others what they deserve in life - high education and
high health - especially the minority Palestinians in the occupied
territories. Instead of giving them help, Israel spends the money
on the army and incursions and fighting the Palestianians. The way
to peace is also by reducing the defense budget, reduce it on a
large scale. The same with the United States. Since George Bush has
been in office he has raised the budget fromm $280 billion to $400
billion. All this is not necessary in this age. The defense budget
is one of the most powerful ways to impose on people
psychologically and through policies, in Israel and the United
States. The people behind the very large defense budgets are the
new modern secret power. We should fight it by reducing the defense
budget in every country. Many countries in Europe have had to
reduce their defense budgets, armies and weapons systems. Israel
has continued to keep its large weapons program, in spite of the
fact that we are living in a different age. We the people should be
free the from the defense budget. We should be able to use it and
control it and hopefully in the future reduce it to a very small
amount, maybe 5%.
Question: What advice would you give to activists in the United
States in the US who see our country becoming more militarized and
having less democracy? How can we best make an impact on our
government when corporations are increasingly controlling it,
military corporations like Boeing and Lockheed?
Vanunu: This is my advice to those in the US who are working for
peace, who want to control those industries behind the huge
production of weapons systems and nuclear weapons. Demand to reduce
the large army power, the amount of weapons, the budgets sent to
these huge defense corporations. Try to force government from
developing new and more advanced weapons, more advanced aircraft,
more advanced submarines, because there are no future enemies who
are going to fight them. Maybe there are states who are competing
economically, in health and social standards, but not in weapons.
There is no enemy who wants to destroy Israel or the US. The human
race has learned that they do not want to kill each other. They
want to compete, develop, they do not want to kill each other. We
should be fight by demanding a reduction to all these weapons and
the weapons industry. The companies behind it, like Boeing and
Lockheed, they should go into civilian production for the US and
for the world.
Question: You have expressed you would very much like to come to
the US.
Vanunu: I believe in the US constitution, I believe in US democracy
and in individual freedom. I believe in the liberty of the US as it
was established 230 years ago. The US constitution was the most
advanced, it has survived, and I believe it will continue to be
advanced. I want to come the United States and be one of your
citizens. To give my support to keep the US free spirit, liberty
and freedom of speech, which is very important for the US people. I
want to live there, to experience it, to support it, especially
since 9/11 and the Patriot Act, which is bad for the people. And I
hope, that without fighting anyone, that I can contribute to
reducing nuclear weapons in the US and the world, with the message
that we the people in the US and Israel and all the world don't
need nuclear weapons. The US and the US Defense Dept. does not need
to fear these views. The US can survive and be good and strong
without nuclear weapons. Human rights are more powerful than
nuclear weapons.
Question: How can we help you to reach the US and to increase your
safety here in Jerusalem?
Vanunu: I would like the people to write to their Congress to
demand from them to know about my story and situation. I need
activitsts in the US people to help intervene. I am not under a
sentence by court but under restriction by Israel law which is not
according to democracy. They have taken from me the basic human
rights of freedom of speech and freedom of movement. The US and
Congress has the right to protect these very important human
rights. Congress was involved when the Jews in Russia were under
these restrictions and the US put sanctions against Russia until
they let the Jews leave. Now the US should do the same to Israel.
The US should speak and raise these issues. But first of all demand
that Israel to let me go and be free. I am not safe here. I don't
feel safe here.
I would like to bring these matters to Congress. If Congress or
visitors can come to visit me here, I would be glad to see them
here. Isreal is not the democracy that is presented to the US
media. The US has the right to intervene and to protect human
rights such as freedom of speech.
 |
 |