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Opinion

Responses from Stéphane Dion, Canada Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Federica Mogherini, High Representative of European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of European Commission, to questions from Chugoku Shimbun in written interview

Prior to the A-bomb anniversary on August 6, Stéphane Dion, Minister of Foreign Affairs Canada, and Federica Mogherini, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission, who both attended the G7 Hiroshima Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Hiroshima in April, in advance of the Group of Seven (G7) summit (Ise Shima summit), sent responses to a written interview. They were asked how they felt about their visit to Hiroshima on April 11, touching the devastating consequences of the atomic bombing, and what they thought of U.S. President Barack Obama’s visit to Hiroshima in May.

(Question) What feelings did you have when you laid a wreath at the Cenotaph for the A-bomb Victims in Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park?

(Answer) I was deeply moved. It made me reflect on the complexities, devastation, and destruction of war and how crucial it is we work together to resolve and prevent conflict.

(Q) How did you feel when you visited the A-bomb Dome?

(A) I was surprised at the contrast. On the one hand, there was the stark image of the destruction of the past, while on the other we were surrounded by the peace park in the midst of a highly developed, modern and vibrant city.

(Q) Were there any exhibits in the museum that made an especially deep impression on you?

(A) The artifacts and images of children touched the core of my heart. This reinforced my belief that all of us must work together through every mechanism, especially education and people-to-people ties, to build resiliency, and create sustainable peace and security.

(Q) Do you think that nuclear weapons are inhumane? Did your idea about this change after visiting Hiroshima?

(A) Visiting Hiroshima strengthened my belief that the catastrophic humanitarian consequences caused by a nuclear weapon detonation would be beyond the capacity of the international community to respond to effectively. Canada believes that the best way to ensure nuclear weapons are never used again is to ultimately eliminate them in a verifiable and irreversible manner.

(Q) How will you translate your experience of visiting Hiroshima into action, especially in the areas of peace building and nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation?

(A) Canada supports progressive, pragmatic steps toward achieving a nuclear weapon-free world. In my view, the next such step would be negotiation of a verifiable Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty. Such a treaty would end the production of the nuclear materials that provide these weapons with their explosive power. When global stockpiles of such materials are capped, they will inevitably be drawn down - leading eventually to their elimination.

(Q) How do you evaluate President Obama’s visit to Hiroshima and the content of the speech he made here? Do you think his visit and speech will provide a tailwind for advancing toward a world without nuclear weapons?

(A) President Obama’s support for advancing nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament has been clear since the president’s landmark speech in Prague in April 2009. As one of the two countries with the largest stockpile of nuclear weapons, US leadership is essential to achieve the goal of a world without nuclear weapons. His Administration’s efforts to engage domestic and international stakeholders to implement the Prague agenda, particularly ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty and to negotiating further nuclear reductions with Russia, are positive movements towards a nuclear weapon-free world.

(Q) During your visit to Hiroshima, you did not have the opportunity to listen to an A-bomb survivor’s account. Please write a message to the survivors, if you have one.

(A) (To the hibakusha no Minasama), I would like to convey my deepest sympathies for the suffering that you have witnessed and endured and my respect for the strength you show in sharing your stories. It is my hope that your messages of peace will help future generations ensure that no one else ever has to experience the pain and devastation wrought by nuclear weapons.

(Question)How did you feel when you visited the A-bomb Dome?

(Answer) It was such a strong experience, for so many reasons. I have always put non-proliferation and disarmament among my core commitments, but I had never been to Hiroshima before. I had read so much, and seen so many videos and pictures. But when you stand in front of the Dome, and you see the destruction with your own eyes, it is a whole different experience. You look at the dome’s wreckage, and you wonder how it has survived the destruction. But it still stands up, as a testimony of what happened in Hiroshima, to keep the memory alive for the new generations.

(Q)What feelings did you have when you laid a wreath at the Cenotaph for the A-bomb victims in Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park?

(A)This was the first time ever that the G7 gathered in Hiroshima: it was such an honour and a privilege for me to represent Europe in a ceremony where the whole world paid respect to the victims, and promised “never again.” There is a moment in particular that I won’t forget: we were greeted by a group of young kids, who gave us garlands made of origami. While looking at these young people, I think we all realised how important it is to make sure that the next generations can pass and preserve the memory of what happened in Hiroshima. On the mistakes of the past we can build a present of cooperation and a future of peace.

(Q)Were there any exhibits in the museum that made an especially deep impression on you?

(A)I would say, as a mother, the tricycle of a four-year-old boy who was playing not far from the spot where the bomb exploded, and died the very same night of the attack.

(Q)Do you think that nuclear weapons are inhumane? Did your idea about this change after you visited Hiroshima?

(A)The pilot who dropped the bomb on Hiroshima noted down in the plane’s official log: “My God, what have we done?” Our human conscience can’t stand so much violence and destruction. And yet, human beings like us created a weapon that can destroy the whole of mankind. Hiroshima reminds us of this great contradiction, and it is a call to action. For policy-makers, there is a daily choice to make – between following the worst human instincts and cultivating the best part of our nature; between leaving things as they stand, and working hard for peace, for disarmament, for a world free of weapons of mass destruction.

(Q)How will you translate your experience of visiting Hiroshima into action, especially in areas of peace building and nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation?

(A)In Hiroshima the G7 signed on a common statement on non-proliferation and disarmament, which shows the way ahead. We will continue to work for the universalisation of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, and for the entry into force of the Comprehensive Test-Ban Treaty: this is something I am particularly keen on, as a member of the “Group of Eminent Persons” who focus on advancing the CTBT ratification and entry into force. It is also encouraging that the international community and the UN Security Council was united in its response to the latest tests by North Korea. After the historic deal on Iran’s nuclear programme, we should try and keep the momentum towards concrete steps forward on non-proliferation and disarmament.

(Q)How do you evaluate President Obama’s visit to Hiroshima and the content of the speech he made there? Do you think his visit and speech will provide a tailwind for advancing toward a world without nuclear weapons?

(A)His visit wasn’t just immensely symbolic. In his speech in Hiroshima, Barack Obama laid down a vision that can and should live on after his presidency. He reminded us that our technological progress has to be coupled with progress in human institutions: as weapons get more lethal, and our world becomes more dangerous, we need to strengthen our global governance, our rules, the institutions of a cooperative world order. But he also pointed at the need to never lower the bar of our aspirations: the goal of a world without nuclear weapons might look impossible to achieve, and we might not achieve it in our lifetime. But as President Obama said, “persistent effort can roll back the possibility of catastrophe.” I can only hope the next US president will share his same commitment and build on the achievements of the last eight years, such as the New START Treaty with Russia and our deal with Iran.

(Q)During your visit to Hiroshima, you did not have the opportunity to listen to an A-bomb’s survivor’s account. Please write down a message to survivors.

(A)I had the opportunity to meet one hibakusha a few years ago, when I was a member of Parliament in my own country, and to listen to his story. It is something I will never forget, the best possible testimony of what is at stake in our work on non-proliferation. The story of Hiroshima and of its people is not simply about devastation, and death. It is also a story of reconstruction, of a new beginning: the pain for what was lost has turned into a call for action, and into the hope for a better future. My hope – and my personal promise – is that the memory will not fade, even when the voices of hibakusha will no longer be with us.

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