Draft news release
[dated December 2000, pre-empted by President Clinton announcement to shelve star wars, a decision now made irrelevant by new US President W Bush who favours star wars/NMD.]
WORLD SAYS NO TO STAR WARS
RELEASE IN SYDNEY, WASHINGTON, LONDON, BERLIN
More than 336 environment groups, peace groups, church groups, political organisations, parliamentarians and local governments from the US, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Russia, Japan, Germany, France, the UK, Denmark, Norway, Iceland, and places from Patagonia to Washington DC, have called on the US government in an open letter not to proceed with its National Missile Defence (NMD) 'Star Wars' proposal, and called on other governments to make every effort to stop the US.
A decision on NMD/'Star Wars' by Clinton could happen any time.
The 336 groups include the worlds largest environment groups, Friends of the Earth International (groups in 60 countries) Greenpeace International, the largest anti nuclear weapons groups in the world, Abolition 2000 with 2000 member groups worldwide and IPPNW (International physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War), Womens International League for Peace and Freedom, the International Peace Bureau, and the British-American Security Council (BASIC).
The total membership of all the groups who have signed is in the millions.
The letter has been signed by some 33 Parliamentarians including 14 federal Australian MPs, 6 Canadian MPs, and 4 members of the European Parliament.
Opposition to NMD/Star Wars is high in the US, and in Europe, most of whose governments have expressed opposition or grave reservations about the scheme which threatens to re-ignite the cold war arms-race. Russia, and China have stated that if NMD/Star Wars proceeds they will ditch all arms-control agreements to date. The governments of France, Germany, Sweden, Canada, as` well as the EU, the Non-Aligned Movement, and the New Agenda Coalition, representing the overwhelming majority of the words governments, have stated opposition to NMD/Star Wars. The government of Denmark, whose consent to the use of the radar station at Thule is crucial for NMD, has recently been deluged with emails and faxes asking it to deny that consent.
Only Australia and Japan have failed to take a position opposing NMD/Star Wars, with Australian foreign minister Downer expressing 'understanding' of the US desire to deploy NMD in spite of a 29 June Senate resolution opposing NMD.
Contact:
John Hallam, (Sydney), 61-2-9517-3903 h61-2-9810-2598
Dr. Hannah Middleton, 61-2-9660-7562 0411-409-954
Daryl Kimball,(Washington DC) (ph) 1-202-546-0795 x136 (fax) 1-202-546-7970
Christine Cucia (London) Phone: +1 202 785 1266 Fax: +1 202 387 6298