The Australian Senate passes a motion calling on the US not to proceed with the National Missile Defence (NMD) scheme

  As the UK Foreign Affairs Select Committee sat yesterday, 28 June, to take evidence from Robin Cook, the Foreign Secretary, Senator Lyn Allison of the Democrats was tabling a motion, which called on the US not to deploy a ballistic missile defence system. A test of this system is scheduled for 7 July.

  In a compelling argument, Senator Lyn Allison said that:

"The US proposal to deploy a ballistic missile defence system is the greatest obstacle to the achievement of the total and unequivocal elimination of nuclear weapons as required by the terms of the final declaration of the recent nuclear non-proliferation treaty review conference, and is the single factor that is most likely to contribute to a renewed arms race."

"At the recent NPT Review Conference, nation after nation, and group after group, including the EU, the New Agenda Coalition, the Non-Aligned Movement, Portugal, Sweden, France, and the UN Secretary General all stated that the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, which the US proposal will violate, is the cornerstone of strategic stability. Russia and China have warned that if the ABM treaty is violated by the US building an ABM system, that all arms control agreements arrived at with the US will be void and there will be a new arms race."

"If the US were to deploy this system it risks spending some $60 billion on an exotic weapons system that can't tell the difference between a warhead and a striped decoy balloon, that will alienate every other country in the world, that does nothing for the security of US allies, and that has the potential to terminate further efforts to fulfil the legal obligations of the nuclear weapons powers to eliminate their nuclear arsenals."

"The Australian Government can't just stand by and let this happen. As a close US ally, it has an obligation to urge the US not to allow the ABM treaty to be trashed and the arms race to recommence. It should press for the early implementation of START-II and the negotiation of a START-III nuclear weapons agreement that aims at the lowest possible warhead numbers offered so far by Russia."

"The G8 will be meeting in Okinawa on 21-23 July. One can safely assume that BMD will be discussed somewhere there. An international fax campaign exists to urge G8 governments to raise their concerns with the US."

NOTICE OF MOTION, DATED 28 JUNE 2000 READS:

1.  That the Senate notes:

(a)  the final declaration of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference in New York, 24 April-19 May 2000, commits the nuclear weapon states to "the early implementation and entry into force of START-II and conclusion of START-III as soon as possible while preserving and strengthening the Anti Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty as a cornerstone of strategic stability and as a basis for further reductions of strategic offensive weapons in accordance with its provisions;

(b)  that at the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference, the United Nations Secretary General, the EU, Sweden, Portugal, the UK and France have all expressed concern at the prospect of the deployment by the US of a National Missile Defence System (NMD), which would require the alteration or abrogation of the ABM treaty, and have stated that the ABM treaty is the cornerstone of strategic stability;

(c)  the statements made by the heads of Government of France and Germany with respect to the inadvisability of deployment of a National Missile defence system by the United States;

(d)  the strong statements by the governments of Russia and China, that deployment of a National Missile Defence system as currently proposed would have serious consequences for arms control and arms reduction talks, and could result in the abandonment of START commitments by Russia, with the alarming possibility of a new arms race;

(e)  increasing doubts about the technical viability of any system of ballistic missile defence, and especially the current NMD proposal surfacing in the United States;

(f)  the recent declaration, released by the Washington National Cathedral, by a large number of retired senior military personnel and religious leaders, asking that nuclear weapons be eliminated and expressing opposition to NMD.

7.  That the Senate asks the Australian Government:

(d)  to make known its position in relation to the United States' proposal to deploy a National Missile Defence System;

(e)  to call on the United States not to deploy an NMD system;

(f)  to urge the United States and Russia to proceed with the early implementation and entry into force of START-II and conclusion of START-III as soon as possible;

(g)  to call on the Nuclear Weapons States to outline how they will implement the NPT Final Document requirement that nuclear weapons play a diminishing role in security policies;

(h)  to urge the United States and Russia to maintain the integrity of the Anti Ballistic Missile Treaty.

CND welcomes this motion by Senator Allison and congratulates the Australian Senate for its courageous decision.

We hope that this places the UK Government on notice that it must stand up and be counted on this vital global issue.