Prayers for nuclear abolition before NPT Review Conference opens
May 6, 2010
by Yumi Kanazaki, Staff Writer, dispatched from New York
The Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference, held every five years, opens on May 3 at United Nations Headquarters in New York. Citizens of the world, including A-bomb survivors from Hiroshima and Nagasaki, gathered in Union Square Park on the evening of May 1 with candles and lanterns in their hands to pray for the success of the conference.
In a fanciful atmosphere created by the lights of candles and lanterns, the participants listened to the playing of guitars and sang songs of peace together. After this, Seiji Takato, 69, a member of the "Black Rain Association," spoke in English. "I would like you to understand how extensive the damage wrought by the atomic bombings was," he said. A crowd of more than 200 people responded to Mr. Takato's appeal with applause.
Mark di Minno, 48, who lives near the park and joined the meeting as a passerby, remarked, "If we have the chance to meet with A-bomb survivors, like at this event, U.S. citizens would definitely change their ideas about the bombings."
During the first three days of the conference, state delegates are scheduled to speak. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is the second speaker on the opening day, while U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will speak that afternoon. Iran's foreign minister was originally scheduled to speak after the U.S. delegate, but Iran changed its plan and instead President Ahmadinejad will take the podium. He is expected to level harsh criticism against the United States.
The adoption of a final document, which was not realized at the conference in 2005, will also become a focus of attention. The NPT Review Conference, however, maintains the rule of unanimous consent. Susan Burk, the Special Representative of the President, told the Chugoku Shimbun on April 30: "We do not view the adoption of a final document as determining whether or not the conference is a success, due to the fact that adoption is so difficult because of the consensus rule." She added that if the United States can confirm support for the NPT and create wider agreement on advancing the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty and the Fissile Material Cutoff Treaty, the conference can be considered a success. That is the attitude the United States is taking into this conference.
Japan will pursue diplomacy as the A-bombed nation based on such measures as a package of "Practical Nuclear Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Measures," a joint effort with 16 articles, by the Japanese and Australian governments. Tetsuro Fukuyama, the State Secretary for Foreign Affairs of Japan, will speak at the U.N. around noon on May 4.
(Originally published on May 3, 2010)
The Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference, held every five years, opens on May 3 at United Nations Headquarters in New York. Citizens of the world, including A-bomb survivors from Hiroshima and Nagasaki, gathered in Union Square Park on the evening of May 1 with candles and lanterns in their hands to pray for the success of the conference.
In a fanciful atmosphere created by the lights of candles and lanterns, the participants listened to the playing of guitars and sang songs of peace together. After this, Seiji Takato, 69, a member of the "Black Rain Association," spoke in English. "I would like you to understand how extensive the damage wrought by the atomic bombings was," he said. A crowd of more than 200 people responded to Mr. Takato's appeal with applause.
Mark di Minno, 48, who lives near the park and joined the meeting as a passerby, remarked, "If we have the chance to meet with A-bomb survivors, like at this event, U.S. citizens would definitely change their ideas about the bombings."
During the first three days of the conference, state delegates are scheduled to speak. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is the second speaker on the opening day, while U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will speak that afternoon. Iran's foreign minister was originally scheduled to speak after the U.S. delegate, but Iran changed its plan and instead President Ahmadinejad will take the podium. He is expected to level harsh criticism against the United States.
The adoption of a final document, which was not realized at the conference in 2005, will also become a focus of attention. The NPT Review Conference, however, maintains the rule of unanimous consent. Susan Burk, the Special Representative of the President, told the Chugoku Shimbun on April 30: "We do not view the adoption of a final document as determining whether or not the conference is a success, due to the fact that adoption is so difficult because of the consensus rule." She added that if the United States can confirm support for the NPT and create wider agreement on advancing the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty and the Fissile Material Cutoff Treaty, the conference can be considered a success. That is the attitude the United States is taking into this conference.
Japan will pursue diplomacy as the A-bombed nation based on such measures as a package of "Practical Nuclear Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Measures," a joint effort with 16 articles, by the Japanese and Australian governments. Tetsuro Fukuyama, the State Secretary for Foreign Affairs of Japan, will speak at the U.N. around noon on May 4.
(Originally published on May 3, 2010)
