Youth Demand: New Defense Outlines Should Make Germany Nuclear
Weapons Free [en]
45 youth from many different organisations from all over Germany write an open letter to the German government, in which they demand an end of German participation in NATO nuclear sharing and a withdrawal of the nuclear weapons deployed in Germany.*
The new defense policy outlines, the Weißbuch of the German army, will be adopted by th German government on 25^th October 2006. Only after that, the German parliament and public will be fully informed and able to discuss its contents. As there are no clues that it will contain an end of Germanys participation in NATO Nuclear Sharing and nuclear weapons deployments in Germany, 45 youth from many different backgrounds have written an open letter to the German government. They state that the Nuclear Sharing arrangement is a relic of the Cold War, and that it weakens Germanys position and credibility in negotiations concerning nuclear proliferation, e.g. with the DPRK and Iran. The participation in double-standard policies on nuclear weapons poses a danger towards further nuclear proliferation on a global scale. The young people demand a withdrawal of all nuclear weapons, as they are a breach of international law. This would be a first step towards a change of NATO policies, a Nuclear Weapons Free Zone in Europe, and finally a nuclear weapons free world.
The youth assert that they are not willing to inherit the almost 30.000 nuclear weapons that exist today worldwide.
Tobias Bollinger, 21, initiator of the urgent action that ran only for one week, is happy about the diverse signatories of the letter: For the first time after the end of the Cold War, youth from many different German initiatives act together in the German public for nuclear disarmament. The young people from youth parties, environmental and peace organisations, religious communities, scouts, arts organisations etc., reflect the majority of the German public: According to a Forsa-survey from 2004, 93% of the German citizens think that it is a breach of international law to produce and deplay nuclear weapons, and 89% want an immediate withdrawal of all nuclear weapons from Germany. A policy change, which could be pursued also during the NATO Summit at Riga in November and during Germanys EU presidency in 2007, would therefore be in tune with many voters opinions AND be a step towards a nuclear weapons free world for the next generations.
Julia Kramer
Friedenswerkstatt Mutlangen, www.pressehuette.de
BAN ALL NUKES generation, www.BANg-europe.org