The new conservative-liberal coalition government has committed itself to work toward the withdrawal of remaining 20 nuclear weapons stationed in Germany. Both Chancellor Angela Merkel and Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle say they would do so in talks with the U.S. administration and within the framework of a new NATO strategy.
This is good news and a reason to rejoice – not only for the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW) which bagged the Nobel Peace Prize in 1985, but also for all those committed to peace and security. In Germany IPPNW comprises 50 peace organisations and groups.
Welcoming the new government's intention, IPPNW Germany said in a statement Oct. 26: "This means that the national campaign 'our future – nuclear weapon-free' has reached an important milestone." Xanthe Hall, the organisation's nuclear disarmament expert said: "We had set ourselves the goal of persuading the government, within three years, to advocate the withdrawal of these remaining nuclear weapons."
She rightly pointed out that "what some people in the media are calling a 'marginal issue' is in fact a very important contribution towards a nuclear weapon-free world". IPPNW believes that a step like this can help negotiations with Iran or North Korea. "Only if we disarm can we demonstrate to others that nuclear weapons are not necessary for our security and persuade other countries to renounce them," Hall said.
The IPPNW campaigners have been putting pressure on parliamentarians since 2007 to position themselves in regard to disarmament. The campaign to win their support was intensified in run up to the September election. The liberal FDP, Bündnis 90/Die Grünen (the Green Party) and Die Linke (the Left Party) have all taken strong positions in recent years on the question of the withdrawal of the 20 nuclear weapons based in the Eifel region, and have repeatedly tabled motions in the Parliament.
However, the CDU/CSU-SPD grand coalition always voted these down. Even though the SPD had pledged to work for withdrawal of nuclear weapons from Germany in its policy programme, they could not vote for it because of their coalition agreement with the Conservative Union. "It was clear from the start that a future coalition agreement would be our greatest obstacle," continued Hall. "That's why lobbied with candidates already during the election to commit themselves to saying they would stand up for withdrawal of nuclear weapons during the coalition negotiations."
After the election, the campaign council wrote again to all the negotiators. Ten Conservative 'Mayors for Peace' wrote to Chancellor Merkel and asked her to make the issue of disarmament 'Chefsache' (top priority) and end nuclear sharing. The German affiliate of Mayors for Peace supports the campaign "our future – nuclear weapon-free".
The Mayors for Peace NGO is composed of cities around the world that have formally expressed support for the programme announced by Takeshi Araki, the Mayor of Hiroshima, in 1982. The cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were assaulted by U.S. atomic bombs in August 1945, reducing the two cities within minutes to rubble and killing hundreds of thousands.
Araki proposed on June 24, 1982 at the 2nd UN Special Session on Disarmament a ‘Programme to Promote the Solidarity of Cities toward the Total Abolition of Nuclear Weapons’. This proposal offered cities a way to transcend national borders and work together to press for the abolition of all nuclear weapons. Subsequently, the Mayors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki called on mayors around the world to support this programme. The organisation is now supported by 554 cities in 107 countries and regions. Mayors for Peace is recognised by the UN as an official NGO.
Mayors for Peace aims to build solidarity and facilitate coordination among cities around the world that support the Programme to Promote the Solidarity of Cities toward the Total Abolition of Nuclear Weapons. Its primary goal is to work world wide to raise consciousness regarding nuclear weapons abolition. It is also formally committed to pursuing lasting world peace by addressing starvation, poverty, refugee welfare, human rights abuses and environmental destruction.
Ramesh Jaura
Chief Editor |
