Canberra Commission
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Canberra Commission for the Elimination of Nuclear Weapons,
a 15-member commission formed by the Australian goverment, meets for the first time on January
22-24 in Canberra. Groups are urged to identify members and develop a relationship with them. The
Commission, based on a meeting that Abolition 2000 representatives had with the Australian
embassy in the Hague, is open to input from the Network. Alice Slater offered to confer with
McNamara, who is on her ECAAR board of directors.
Members of the Canberra Commission are:
Ambassador Celso Amorim from Brazil : former Foreign Minister 1993-94 and current Permanent
Representative at the UN
General George Butler from US : Commander in Chief of US Strategic Air Command 1991/2 -
served as deputy to General Powell
Ambassador Richard Butler : Australian Ambassador to UN and former Disarmament Ambassador
Field Marshal the Lord Carver UK: Commander in Chief Far East of the British Army (1967-69),
Chief of Defence Staff (1973-76)
Ambassador Dhanapala, Sri Lanka: Chaired 1995 NPT Conference, former Director of UNIDIR,
Ambassador for Sri Lanka to UN
Ambassador Rolf Ekeus, Sweden: Executive Chair UN Special Commission - mandate to identify
and eliminate Iraq's weapons of mass destruction. Former Amb for Disarmament and Amb to
CSCE
Ambassador Dr Nabil Elaraby, Egypt: international lawyer, member of International Law
Commission. Amb of Egypt to UN, New York
Prof Imai, Japan: Counsellor to the Japan Atomic Power Company. Former Amb of Japan to CD, to
Kuwait and Mexico.
Dr Ron McCoy, Malaysia: Chair IPPNW Malaysia, President Malaysian Medical Association. email
address: rsm@mccoy.pc.my
Robert McNamara, US: Former Secretary of Defence under Kennedy and Johnson
Prof Robert O'Neill, Australian in UK. Prof of History of War, Oxford; former Director International Institute Strategic Studies London.
Michel Rocard, France: Former Prime Minister ( 1988-91). Member European Parliament and
French Senate.
Prof Joseph Rotblat UK: Winner 1995 Nobel Peace Prize, President Pugwash.
Prof Roald Sagdeev, Russian: Prof Physics Dept University of Maryland and Director of the
East-West Space Science Centre. Former Chair Committee of Soviet Scientists for Global Security
Dr Maj Britt Theorin, Sweden: Member EU, Former Swedish Amb for Disarmament and President
IPB, Chair of UN Commission of Experts on Nuclear Weapons 1989/90.
Excerpts from Proposed Mandate for Commission:
Commission will consider and develop recommendations on:
- Identification of concrete and realistic steps for achieving a nuclear weapons free world,
including development and establishment of necessary verification and control mechanisms
and new international legal obligations. Possible areas of focus include:
- contribution of a CTBT, NWFZones, a Cut-Off Convention on cessation of production of
fissile material for nuclear weapons, possible treaty requiring all states to declare and account
for present stocks of fissile material, strengthening international safeguard system.
- carrying through commitment by nws to eliminate their nuclear stockpiles through a
systematic process, including safe and secure arrangements for weapons dismantlement and
destruction
- problem of nuclear threshold states and the related issue of achieving universal participation
in the NPT
- Development of durable security arrangements, both globally and regionally including:
- maintenance of stable deterrence while the reduction and eventual elimination of nuclear
weapons is being achieved
- link with other weapons of mass destruction and their control or elimination
- measures to prevent break-out, nuclear theft and nuclear terrorism/criminality
The contact address for the Commission:
Canberra Commission on Elimination of Nuclear Weapons
International Security Division
C/o Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Canberra ACT 2600, Australia.
fax 61 6 261 2640, phone 61 6 261 12640
August 14 Press Release
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