HUMAN WRONGS WATCH

Human Wrongs Watch

By John Scales Avery*

22 July 2015

The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty of 1968

The During the Cold War, a number of international treaties attempting to reduce the global nuclear peril had been achieved after much struggle. Among these, the 1968 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) has special importance.

Sculpture depicting St. George slaying the dragon. The dragon is created from fragments of Soviet SS-20 and United States Pershing nuclear missiles. UN Photo/Milton Grant

The NPT was designed to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons beyond the five nations that already had them; to provide assurance that “peaceful” nuclear activities of non-nuclear-weapon states would not be used to produce such weapons; to promote peaceful use of nuclear energy to the greatest extent consistent with non-proliferation of nuclear weapons; and finally, to ensure that definite steps towards complete nuclear disarmament would be taken by all states, as well steps towards comprehensive control of conventional armaments (Article VI).

Human Wrongs Watch

By Mairead Maguire, Nobel Peace Laureate*

20 july 2015, TRANSCEND Media Service – All Peace loving people around the World, and particularly those who have worked for many years for the Abolition of All Nuclear Weapons, must have been encouraged and given hope, with the announcement on 14 July, 2015 of a Nuclear Deal between Iran and the Six World Powers.

Mairead Maguire

Congratulations are in order to all those who persevered in face of much opposition and remained at the negotiating table to get this deal, Foreign Minister of Iran Mr. Zarif, USA Sec. of State, John Kerry, the EU High Rep. for Foreign Affairs, Ms. Mogherini, and many others fulfilled their political responsibilities in negotiating a Nuclear Deal with Iran, that according to Iranian Foreign Minister has delivered, not what everyone wanted, but a win/win situation for all.

This Agreement is indeed to be welcomed, and it is a triumph for dialogue and diplomacy and proves that problems can be solved at the negotiating table instead of using the unethical, immoral and counter-productive method of military threats and attacks.

Human Wrongs Watch

US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter | Source: PressTV

“One of the reasons this deal is a good one is that it does nothing to prevent the military option — the US military option, which I’m responsible for,” Carter told reporters aboard his plane while traveling to Tel Aviv.

Carter arrived in Israel on Sunday evening and is scheduled to meet with Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday and Tuesday respectively.

The Pentagon head stressed that his trip does not involve convincing Israel to like the deal, stating he’s “not going to change anybody’s mind in Israel. We can agree to disagree.” 

The main thing he will try to get across is that nothing has really changed for the US: “Our ability to carry out that strategy is unchanged,” he said, adding that the goal is to ensure the security of Israel and US Arab allies.

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Human Wrongs Watch

By Uri Avnery*

18 July 2015

AND WHAT if the whole drama was only an exercise of deception?

Uri Avnery

What if the wily Persians did not even dream of building an atomic bomb, but used the threat to further their real aims?

What if Binyamin Netanyahu was duped to become unwittingly the main collaborator of Iranian ambitions?

Sounds crazy? Not really. Let’s have a look at the facts.

IRAN IS one of the oldest powers in the world, with thousands of years of political experience. Once they possessed an empire that spanned the civilized world, including our little country. Their reputation for clever trade practices is unequaled.

They are much too clever to build a nuclear weapon. What for? It would devour huge amounts of money. They know that they would never be able to use it. Same as Israel, with its large stockpile.