Letter to All Governments of the World
2004 World Conference Against A & H Bombs - Nagasaki
Concerned about the danger of war and the use and proliferation
of nuclear weapons, we, the participants in the 2004 World Conference
against Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs held in Hiroshima and Nagasaki,
are determined to strengthen our international solidarity and action
to make a decisive turn for the abolition of nuclear weapons in
the coming 60th year of the A-bomb tragedy.
The World Conference against A and H Bombs, which is honored by
the half century history since its first meeting in 1955, has worked
to prevent nuclear weapons from actually being used and has spread
the voice for the "elimination of nuclear weapons". However,
nuclear weapons still exist and are threatening the survival of
the human race. We, therefore, send you this letter from the A-bombed
city Nagasaki, hoping that all the governments, including Japan,
the only A-bombed country, make a courageous decision and set about
actions to accomplish the elimination of nuclear weapons.
The atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima on Aug. 6 and Nagasaki on
Aug. 9 1945, destroyed the cities in an instant and killed hundreds
of thousands of people. Those who escaped the immediate death were
wounded in both body and mind, and many were left in agony. The
tragedies must not be repeated. It is a vital task for international
politics to prevent the use of nuclear weapons and to swiftly abolish
them.
It is a duty of the nuclear weapons states to fulfill the "unequivocal
undertaking" to abolish nuclear arsenals, to which they themselves
have pledged, towards May next year, when the next NPT Review Conference
takes place in May in New York. The voices demanding the implementation
of the "undertaking" are heightening worldwide. To follow
a policy of preemptive use of nuclear weapons in contravention of
the public's voice and even move forward nuclear weapons development
cannot but threaten world peace.
We demand that all nuclear weapons states, both declared and undeclared,
abandon their policy of threatening the use of or actually using
nuclear weapons, and that they put an end to the research, development
and testing of new nuclear weapons. We further demand that they
set about implementing the "unequivocal undertaking" to
abolish their nuclear arsenals towards the NPT Review Conference
next year.
We also call on all governments to make efforts for the start of
negotiations on an international treaty for the elimination of nuclear
weapons, and to vote in favor of resolutions to abolish these weapons
at the U.N. General Assembly session this autumn. We also urge all
the governments that rely their "security" on "nuclear
deterrence" provided by a nuclear weapons state to abandon
the current policy and take actions, such as ridding their territories
of nuclear weapons.
The voices and actions of the people desiring peace and abolition
of nuclear weapons are spreading all over the world, transcending
national boundaries, differences of nationality, social systems
or religions. The 2004 World Conference against A & H Bombs
is calling for a redoubled effort on international signature campaigns,
with the common goal of "Abolition of nuclear weapons, now".
We also welcome the initiatives of the World Conference of Mayors
for Peace, led by the mayors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. We look
forward to the solidarity and cooperation to be developed between
the governments sharing the desire for the abolition of nuclear
weapons and local government leaders and civil society organizations,
jointly creating a grand current for the abolition of nuclear weapons.
We have consistently promoted grass-roots movements hand in hand
with the Hibakusha, upholding the tasks of preventing nuclear war,
eliminating nuclear weapons and supporting the Hibakusha in solidarity
with them. We sincerely request that the government of all countries
listen to our voices and make an earnest effort to abolish all nuclear
weapons.
August 9, 2004
2004 World Conference against A & H Bombs - Nagasaki
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