Proposition One
ZIMBABWE PRESENTS PROPOSITION ONE - HR-1647 TO THE WORLD COURT
Zimbabwe Has The Last Word
Zimbabwe, alphabetically the last to speak, was added to the schedule for oral testimony after
the hearings had begun. A leader of the 113-member Non-Aligned
Movement in the U.N., Zimbabwe in 1992 drafted the resolution
which led to the hearings. Zimbabwe's delegate,
Jonathan Wutawunashe, drew the Court's
attention to a current legislative effort in the U.S. to outlaw
nuclear weapons:
"(T)here are many prominent citizens in nuclear
countries, including church leaders, military people, members of
parliament, and parliamentary initiatives supporting this
initiative and the elimination of nuclear weapons. Zimbabwe
would like to mention one in particular, the Nuclear Disarmament
and Economic Conversion Bill introduced into the 104th United
States Congress as a result of a citizens'-initiated referendum.
United States Congressmember and introducer of the Bill, Eleanor
Holmes Norton, sent a letter to this Court on 3 November 1995,
describing the Bill and urging this Court to 'consider the legacy
it will pass on to our children, and to issue a strong opinion in
favour of nuclear disarmament'." (Ms. Norton's letter, which Ellen had personally delivered, is the
last written attachment to this historic case.)
Mr Wutawunashe addressed the arguments made earlier in the
day by the United Kingdom and United States, and expressed agreement
with the oral testimonies of Costa Rica, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran,
Malaysia, Marshall Islands, Mexico, New Zealand, Samoa, and the
written testimonies of Nauru and Solomon Islands on various
points of law.
He mentioned several important books and articles
by scientists, and referred to a statement submitted with Solomon
Islands' oral testimony by nuclear physicist and Nobel Peace
Prize Winner Joseph Rotblat that "any use of nuclear weapons
would cause unnecessary suffering, be indiscriminate and would
affect the territories of third States."
The lawyers of World Court Project worked closely with Zimbabwe'sdelegation, as indeed they had with several other delegations, in presenting oral testimony, and alerted Zimbabwe to Ms. Norton's contribution to efforts to create binding law in the United States which would lead to a global ban nuclear weapons.