Det danske Fredsakademi
Kronologi over fredssagen og international politik 9. december 2008 / Time Line December 9, 2008
Version 3.58. December 2008, 10. December 2008
12/09/2008
100 International Leaders Launch Global Zero Campaign To Eliminate Nuclear Weapons
Distinguished Group Developing Step-by-Step Plan for Phased, Verified Reductions to Zero Nuclear Weapons
Leaders Agree That Eliminating Nuclear Weapons Is Only Way To Stop Proliferation and That a Special Russia-U.S. Partnership is Needed
New Worldwide Poll Shows Overwhelming Support For Getting To Zero Nuclear Weapons
PARIS, France – One hundred international political, military, business, and civic leaders from across political lines launched a new initiative today in Paris to eliminate nuclear weapons globally to combat the threat of proliferation and nuclear terrorism. Called Global Zero, the initiative will combine high-level policy work with global public outreach to achieve a binding agreement to eliminate all nuclear weapons through phased and verified reductions.
Each leader has signed a Global Zero declaration calling for a binding, verifiable agreement to eliminate all nuclear weapons by a date certain. The group is developing a step-by-step plan to eliminate nuclear weapons. They met in Paris yesterday and today in their inaugural conference to review and discuss the key steps.
In recent months, the threat of proliferation and nuclear terrorism has led to a growing chorus of government leaders from across political lines calling for the elimination of all nuclear weapons, including Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and U.S. President-elect Barack Obama. This new and unprecedented political support for getting to zero nuclear weapons from key governments around the world has made this goal – while still difficult – possible.
Global Zero’s public outreach will occur through worldwide media, online communications and grassroots organizing. The Global Zero website (www.globalzero.org) unveiled today will give the public the opportunity to get involved, beginning with signing the same declaration the Global Zero leaders have signed.
Global Zero also announced new polling results showing that international public opinion strongly favors this goal.
Global Zero leaders emphasized that eliminating nuclear weapons will not happen overnight but instead must be done through phased and verified reductions over a period of years. Key steps include:
- Deep reductions to Russian-U.S. arsenals, which comprise 96% of the world’s 27,000 nuclear weapons.
- Russia and the United States, joined by other nuclear weapons states, cut arsenals to zero in phased reductions.
- Establishing verification systems and international management of the fuel cycle to prevent future development of nuclear weapons.
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