aswkbt@ssc-bee.UUCP (Kenneth B Thornton) (11/22/85)
> > > > FIVE CONTINENT PEACE INITIATIVE > > The Five Continent Peace Initiative was proposed with the goal of breaking > the nuclear deadlock between the superpowers. The leaders from five continents > include President Raul Alfonsin of Argentina, Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi of > India, President Miguel de la Madrid of Mexico, President Julius Nyerere of > Tanzania, Prime Minister Olof Palme of Sweden, and Prime Minister Andreas > Papandreou of Greece. > > The first Joint Declaration, calling for a freeze on nuclear arsenals > followed by general and complete disarmament as well as a strengthened United > Nations, was announced in May of 1984 at simultaneous news conferences in > their national capitals. Then, in a powerful show of unity, their United > Nations ambassadors conveyed the declaration to the five nuclear weapons states > -- the US, the USSR, Great Britain, France, and China. > > The Delhi Declaration is their latest effort. Starting with a summit meeting > in New Delhi in January, 1985, the group undertook a series of high level > discussions on a new agenda for disarmament. The visits to the capitals of the > nuclear weapons states -- announced at the New Delhi summit -- provide a clear > indication that the Five Continent Peace Initiative intends to impress its > concerns actively in the context of international bilateral talks. The first > such visit was that of Prime Minister Papandreou to Moscow from February 11 to > February 14, 1985. In discussions with Soviet Prime Minister Tikhonov, Prime > Minister Papandreou presented the fundamental goal of the Initiative. He also > held a separate meeting with Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko. In March, > President Alfonsin visited Washington, and President Nyerere carried the > Initiative's message with him when he met with Prime Minister Thatcher in > London Prime Minister Gandhi visited Moscow in May and Washington in June, where > he spoke to President Reagan and to Congress. The six world leaders have stated > there intention to keep each other fully informed of the results of these > visits. > > The Delhi declaration states that "the nuclear weapon states have applied > traditional doctrines of war in a world where new weapons have made them > obsolete...If the old doctrines are applied to the future, the holocaust > will be inescapable sooner or later. But nuclear war can be prevented if our > voices are joined in a universal defense of our right to live." The > Declaration "reiterate[s] our appeal for an all-embracing halt to the testing. > production and deployment of nuclear weapons and their delivery systems" and > focuses on two specific steps: "the prevention of an arms race in outer space, > and a comprehensive test ban treaty." Finally, it asserts that "The future of > all peoples is at stake. As representatives from non-nuclear states, we will > not cease to express our legitimate concern and make known our demands. We > affirm our determination to facilitate agreement among the nuclear weapon > states, so that the required steps can be taken. We will seek to work together > with them for the common security of mankind and for peace." > > Originally organized by Parliamentarians for World Order, the Five Continent > Peace Initiative effort has been endorsed by the Pops, the Secretary-General of > the United Nations, over 125 members of the U.S. Congress, Physicians for > Social Responsibility, and most recently, by 79 Nobel Laurietes. > > Parliamentarians for World Order (PWO) is an international network of > legislators committed to the goal of world peace through world law. Founded > in 1980, the group has 600 members from 30 countries who believe that "The > only way to provide security for their constituents, and to ensure a future > for humanity, is through comprehensive disarmament and fundamental reform of > the international system." Having concluded that action at the highest level > held the best hope of breaking the nuclear deadlock, PWO established contact > in 1983 with the world leaders who now form the Five Continents Peace > Initiative. *** REPLACE THIS LINE WITH YOUR MESSAGE ***