Submission from Barbara Pope
Any discussion leading to agreements in the
control and eventual prevention of weapons proliferation must
surely begin with the necessity of established legal measures
levied by an independent world court to bring to task Governments
such as George Bush's and Tony Blair's who, by their arrogance
and subsequent illegal actions, have caused the deaths of millions
of people, not to mention the disruption of so many lives. They
need to face a court and its consequences, as did Saddam Hussein,
who was supported by the west for so long!
The political hypocrisy, so prevalent during
present times, destroys the veracity of the NPT, as western actions
have threatened the security and trust in so many other parts
of the world. Can one blame others for feeling a dire need to
protect themselves?
Actions such as the plans to renew Trident laugh
in the face of any NPT, particularly Article 6. They hyperbolic
semantics used eg missile defence interceptors facing Russia,
adds to the already prevalent weight of distrust of the west throughout
the rest of the world.
The so called US missile defence system for
which the British Government has allowed the use of Fylingdales
and Menwith Hill is, of course, leading to a new arms race. What
a mess the west has made of a treaty which, had it been honoured,
could have done much to bolster peace in the world, and what a
catalogue of failure and mistrust the people have witnessed.
Incidentally—why twelve men and only two
women on your committee?
19 September 2008
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