06/08/2005 - On this anniversary
which reminds us about war and the horror
war brings, Greenpeace - once again - commits
itself to creating peace.
We envision a world where the kind of death
and destruction caused in Hiroshima and Nagasaki
can never happen again. We envision a future
where there is no fear of nuclear weapons
and their destructive power. We envision a
future where terrible conflict provoked by
the very existence of nuclear weapons has
been totally eliminated. To honour those who
died as a result of nuclear weapons unleashed
in Japan, we must all work together to create
this world.
From every corner of the planet, across 40
countries and representing 2.8 million supporters,
Greenpeace sends its solemn promise that it
will continue fighting for peace. Today we
also delivered messages of peace from citizens
around the world and the point is crystal
clear: to create lasting peace all nations
must eliminate all their nuclear weapons -
as well as the dangerous materials and technologies
used to create them.
Read the messages of peace flown in Hiroshima.
This double imperative is more urgent than
ever. Since the atomic bombs were dropped
on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, eight other nations
have acquired nuclear weapons. Meanwhile countries
like Japan intend to produce nuclear weapons
useable material. But it's not too late to
take action.
The first step is up to leaders of nuclear
weapons states. They must lead by example
and honour past promises to eliminate their
nuclear arsenals. They must stop using nuclear
weapons as a threatening tool - a tool to
prop up self-interested world views which
fail to recognise how the fates all nations
and all peoples are inextricably intertwined.
Next month at the Millennium Summit Review,
leaders of Nuclear Weapons States will have
the opportunity to set aside self-interest
in favour of the common good. What the world's
people expect from this meeting is that negotiations
start for nuclear disarmament - negotiations
that start NOW.
The responsibility falls not just on nuclear
weapons states. Leaders of countries like
Japan which intend to produce dangerous nuclear
weapons usable material must immediately abandon
their plans. As long as deadly substances
like plutonium are produced, the threat of
nuclear weapons proliferation exists. By pursuing
a plan that will create eight tonnes of nuclear
weapons material Japan also dramatically weakens
its own call for nuclear disarmament.
It was 34 years ago that 12 activists sailed
their ship into the heart of the US nuclear
weapons test zone. The memory of lives lost
in the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki propelled
them forward. Greenpeace will continue remembering
those lost lives. But we will also focus on
the world we want to create: one where people
from all over the planet unite in common cause
for our common good. With their messages sent
from all over the world to Hiroshima today,
that's exactly what people did today. Will
their leaders follow?
Signed by
Gerd Leipold
International Executive Director
Martin Prieto, Executive Director, Greenpeace
Argentina
Peter Mullins, Executive Director, Greenpeace
Australia / Pacific
Peter De Smet, Executive Director, Greenpeace
Belgium
Frank Guggenheim, Executive Director, Greenpeace
Brazil
Bruce Cox, Executive Director, Greenpeace
Canada
Bernhard Drumel, Executive Director, Greenpeace
Central and Eastern Europe
Gonzalo Villarino, Executive Director, Greenpeace
Chile
Howard Liu, Executive Director, Greenpeace
China
Jiri Tutter, Executive Director, Greenpeace
Czech Republic
Pascal Husting, Executive Director, Greenpeace
France
Brigitte Behrens, Executive Director, Greenpeace
Germany
Nikos Charlambides, Executive Director, Greenpeace
Greece
Ananthapadmanabhan (Ananth), Executive Director,
Greenpeace India
Donatella Massai, Executive Director, Greenpeace
Italy
Steve Shallhorn, Interim Executive Director,
Greenpeace Japan
Paul Delaunois, Executive Director, Greenpeace
Luxembourg
Ahmet Bektas, Executive Director, Greenpeace
Mediterranean
Alejandro Calvillo, Executive Director, Greenpeace
Mexico
Liesbeth van Tongeren, Executive Director,
Greenpeace Netherlands
Margaret Crozier, Executive Director, Greenpeace
New Zealand
Lennart Daleus, Executive Director, Greenpeace
Nordic
Serguei Tsyplenkov, Executive Director, Greenpeace
Russia
Sanae Shida, Interim Executive Director, Greenpeace
South East Asia
Juantxo Lopez de Uralde, Executive Director,
Greenpeace Spain
Kaspar Schuler, Executive Director, Greenpeace
Switzerland
Stephen Tindale, Executive Director, Greenpeace
UK
John Passacantando, Executive Director, Greenpeace
USA
