A joint declaration was made on Tuesday 9th June by Brazil, Egypt, Ireland, Mexico, New Zealand, Slovenia, South Africa and Sweden. It is in response to the recent nuclear tests by India and Pakistan. It goes beyond dealing with the issue only of the Indian subcontinent and it calls for urgent movement towards global nuclear disarmament
"The joint declaration builds on the finding of the International Court of Justice that there exists an obligation to pursue and conclude negotiations leading to nuclear disarmament. It also supports interim steps to reduce the nuclear threat, such as those recommended by the Canberra Commission."
- said Don McKinnon, New Zealand Foreign Minister.
The following extracts are taken from the joint declaration:
"The international community must not enter the third millenium with the prospect that the maintenance of these weapons will be considered legitimate for the indefinite future, when the present juncture provides a unique opportunity to eradicate and prohibit them for all time. We therefore call on the governments of each of the nuclear-weapon states and the three nuclear-weapons-capable states to commit themselves unequivocally to the elimination oof their respective nuclear weapons and nuclear weapons capability and to agree to start work immediately on the practical steps and negotiations required for its achievement."
".. there are a number of practical steps that the nuclear weapon states can, and should, take immediately. We call on them to abandon present hair trigger postures by proceeding to de-alerting and de-activating their weapons.
"We on our part, will spare no efforts to pursue the objectives outlined above. We are jointly resolved to achieve the goal of a world free from nuclear weapons. We firmly hold that the determined and rapid preparation for the post-nuclear era must start now."