ICANW campaign launch 23 April - abolish nuclear weapons : Melbourne Indymedia

[From ICANW media release]
A former Australian Prime Minister, a former judge of
the world's highest court and some of Australia's most senior professionals and community leaders will launch the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons and call for a Nuclear Weapons Convention.

The nuclear threat is increasing. Now is a critical time with nine nations holding 27,000 nuclear weapons. Major nuclear weapons states of the US and UK recently announced renewal programs, proliferation risks are
increasing and disarmament stalled.

Australia, as a major supplier of uranium internationally, has a responsibility to spearhead international efforts to abolish nuclearweapons.

The launch date is exactly 50 years after Nobel Peace Prize
laureate, physician Doctor Albert Schweitzer issued his "Call to Conscience" for the total abolition of atomic weapons.

The launch will begin at 11am with 'X-marks the spot': a gigantic red cross will be marked on the steps
of Parliament House with white-coated medical students demonstrating the health & environmental impact of a nuclear attack on Melbourne. A press conference will be held at 11.30 in Room K, followed by a lunch at 12pm in Queen's Hall.

Speakers at the lunch will include: the Hon Malcolm Fraser; former Prime Minister (to speak at luncheon), Judge Christopher Weeramantry; former Judge & Vice-President, International Court of Justice, Professor Fred Mendelsohn; Director, Howard Florey Institute of Experimental Physiology and Medicine, Professor Joseph Camilleri, Professor of International Relations, Latrobe University, and Gareth Evans; former Foreign Minister (recorded video message).

Contact: Caroline Green on 0400 606 399 or
caroline@icanw.org <caroline@icanw.org>

or Jessica Morrison on 0431 519 577 or jessica@icanw.org

Event sponsor: Medical Association for Prevention of War (MAPW)

http://www.mapw.org.au/ican.html

The Greens say the South Australian Government and BHP Billiton have many questions to answer about the apparent theft of uranium oxide at the Olympic Dam mine in the state's far north.

Ten jars of yellowcake were found at a residential village for contractors at the mine site on Monday night.

Police are investigating and the Australian Safeguards and Non-Proliferation Office has asked BHP Billiton to do an audit of its sample holdings.

SA Greens MP Mark Parnell says the case raises serious concerns about the safety of Australia's uranium industry.

"It's a very dangerous substance at all levels of its cycle and if there's mistakes happened here, if things have gone wrong here, well how do we know if the system will work if we start selling uranium to China for example, which is a nuclear weapons state?" he said.

Director-general of the Australian Safeguards and Non-Proliferation Office, John Carlson, says uranium producers have to follow strict handling procedures.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200704/s1900482.htm

John Carlson, Director of the Australian Safeguards and Non-Proliferation Office, has also admitted that Australians will not inspect Chinese nuclear facilities to ensure compliance with controls safeguarding non proliferation. He also confirmed that international inspectors would not visit enrichment or conversion facilities in China to ensure Australian uranium did not end up in nuclear weapons."
The Age, 5/9/06

Rudd, Howard, McFarlane, shareholders, et al, take note.

See the ICAN video