Hiroshima mayor appeals for NPT review conference to be held in A-bombed city
May 10, 2012
by Michiko Tanaka, Staff Writer, dispatched from Vienna
On May 4, Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui spoke in Vienna, Austria at an official function in conjunction with the First Preparatory Committee for the 2015 Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference. In his address, Mr. Matsui called on the world’s governmental representatives to support his city’s effort to host the review conference in Hiroshima in 2015 and he appealed for the start of negotiations on a Nuclear Weapons Convention.
The mayor took the podium at a workshop held by Mayors for Peace, for which he serves as president. Mr. Matsui emphasized the importance of conveying the voices of the A-bombed cities and appealed for “as many people as possible to visit Hiroshima, understand the consequences of the atomic bombing, and share the experiences and sentiments of the A-bomb survivors.”
While Mr. Matsui praised the fact that the previous NPT review conference held in 2010 included the idea of “considering negotiations” for a Nuclear Weapons Convention in its final document, he pointed out that the text lacked a concrete road map and deadline for eliminating nuclear arms. With the aim of abolishing these weapons by the year 2020, the mayor declared that he will be proactive in his efforts, which will center on his work with Mayors for Peace.
Following Mr. Matsui to the podium were Nagasaki Mayor Tomihisa Taue; Mari Amano, the Ambassador of Japan to the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva; and various NGO representatives. They all affirmed their continuing cooperation for nuclear abolition in their speeches.
On May 4, Mr. Matsui submitted signatures asking for the start of negotiations on a Nuclear Weapons Convention to Peter Woolcott, chair of the preparatory conference. The mayor will be in Vienna until May 6.
(Originally published on May 5, 2012)
On May 4, Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui spoke in Vienna, Austria at an official function in conjunction with the First Preparatory Committee for the 2015 Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference. In his address, Mr. Matsui called on the world’s governmental representatives to support his city’s effort to host the review conference in Hiroshima in 2015 and he appealed for the start of negotiations on a Nuclear Weapons Convention.
The mayor took the podium at a workshop held by Mayors for Peace, for which he serves as president. Mr. Matsui emphasized the importance of conveying the voices of the A-bombed cities and appealed for “as many people as possible to visit Hiroshima, understand the consequences of the atomic bombing, and share the experiences and sentiments of the A-bomb survivors.”
While Mr. Matsui praised the fact that the previous NPT review conference held in 2010 included the idea of “considering negotiations” for a Nuclear Weapons Convention in its final document, he pointed out that the text lacked a concrete road map and deadline for eliminating nuclear arms. With the aim of abolishing these weapons by the year 2020, the mayor declared that he will be proactive in his efforts, which will center on his work with Mayors for Peace.
Following Mr. Matsui to the podium were Nagasaki Mayor Tomihisa Taue; Mari Amano, the Ambassador of Japan to the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva; and various NGO representatives. They all affirmed their continuing cooperation for nuclear abolition in their speeches.
On May 4, Mr. Matsui submitted signatures asking for the start of negotiations on a Nuclear Weapons Convention to Peter Woolcott, chair of the preparatory conference. The mayor will be in Vienna until May 6.
(Originally published on May 5, 2012)
