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F. W. de Klerk speaks of significance of holding World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates in Hiroshima

by Toshiko Bajo, Staff Writer

On November 13, Fredrik Willem de Klerk, former president of South Africa and one of the Nobel Peace Prize laureates in attendance at “The 2010 World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates” in the city of Hiroshima, sat down for an interview at the Grand Prince Hotel Hiroshima, the summit venue. He spoke about the significance of the first summit to be held in the A-bombed city, where Nobel Peace Prize laureates have gathered to discuss issues involving nuclear abolition.

Referring to the magnitude of the tragedy wrought by the atomic bombings, which claimed scores of lives in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Mr. de Klerk said that Hiroshima calls attention to the enormity of the destruction that nuclear weapons inflict and that holding the gathering here underscores the message that the summit intends to convey. He suggested that citizens’ groups join hands as one means of pressing the nuclear weapon states to eliminate their nuclear arsenals.

Mr. de Klerk also emphasized the importance of the international community maintaining pressure on the Chinese government by calling for the release of Liu Xiaobo, the jailed pro-democracy leader and the recipient of this year’s Nobel Peace Prize.

On the day, Mr. de Klerk also spoke at Soka Gakkai Ikeda Peace Memorial Hall in Hiroshima, where he related the experience of his nation in dismantling its nuclear arsenal. He stressed that there is no justification for the possession of such weapons and that the rest of the world should follow the example of African nations which have made the region a nuclear-free zone.

On November 14, at the same venue, Mairead Corrigan Maguire, the peace activist from Northern Ireland, and other laureates will make remarks.

(Originally published on November 14, 2010)

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