WPCR 2BVT Z Courier New (TT)?xxx,nXx6X@DQX@HP DeskJet 60024HPDES600.WRSx  @0,,4{ @2@P#|x 9/8/95 @ 1 7:33 1 5 I`()l.r N7R IES A ('()N7`IN ENT ,4NI) A REG I()N WITHOUTMILITARIES GLOBAL DEMILITARIZATION )N CONTENTS Map of Demilitarized %oncs ol the World I. 1 5 (-`( )I! NI`RIES. A ('( )N7`1N ENT AND A RE(il()NW1771()lr7` MII.I^AR IES I Cloh;ll Ik'mililalilali~lnMissionSllllsmctl1 I. Ahstracc Antalctica [continent] 2. Kland Islands [region] 2. hndona 2. C'oslaRica 4. Dominica 4. Holy Scc Ifolmcrly Valic;ln ('illv Slatc'J 4. Icciantl 3. Kirihari formerly CJilbsrl Is)andsl 4. I,icchrenstcin 5. Marshall Islanris 5. Microncsia. Federated Slatcs ol 5. Monaco 6. Nauru 6. Panama 7. Sainl Kills and Ncvis (fornlcrly Saint Christclpher antlNevis 7. Tuvalu Ifommurly Ellicc Islandsl 7. Wcsrcrn Samt,a 7. Mililary (hicrspcnding Why Dcmililarilc C). L;oals Tl,ward Peace I(). ('ivilian Bascd Dtl'ensc I(). ('onvcrsion II. Rcprcssion From Wilhin I I. Japan Kr Germany 13. Nuclear Wcapon Dislunmanlent M;lny Wars. Little Pcacc in Lhc Z()Lh Century 17. Anolhcr Ptacc SugFcstion 14. Sources ol Help to I)cnlilitarizc 14. References 16. TABI,E ol 15 ('c,un(rics, a Continent ant a Region Widloul 17. Summal-y ol 15 C'ounlrics Wilhi,ut Militaries 17. SarnplcI)ATA BASE "(#0*0*0*0*" Global Demilitarization June 9.  39 19 39  39C)95 I>ear Haiti Demilitarization Supporters, Before Haiti was peacefully invaded by the US in October 1994,former President Carter and his colleagues negotiated a reductionin Haiti's military from 7,000 to 1,500. In November, Oscar Arias  3:Sjnche 3: Sanchez 3:  3:z, past president of Costa Ricaand Nobel Peace Laureate, visited Haitian President Jean-BertrandAristide and it was decided a poll should be taken to verify thegeneral impression that a majority of the Haitian citizens favorabolishing the military altogether. A short time later PresidentAristide, with a show of great courage, dismissed mast of the topmilitary of 3;t` 3; f 3; icers from active duty. At a meeting with Global Demilitarization in February, in replyto our question about how we could support his efforts, Dr. Ariassuggested that Global Demilitarization finance the poll in Haiti.With contributions and pledges from almost 200 individuals,organizations and a  3<foundario 3< foundation 3<  3<n, there will now be available atleast $27,000, more than enough to pay for the poll. A summary ofthe main results of the poll is enclosed. Arias recently visited President Aristide in Haiti for a newsconference to release the results of the poll. Aristide a 3=rl 3= n 3= nouncedthat 62 3>Cib 3> % 3>  of the citizens of Haiti favored demilitarization, andonly 12 3?C/o 3? % 3?  wanted to keep an army. He forthwith declared the Haitiarmy dissolved. In a letter to Arias, he wrote that a proposal tothus amend the constitution will be submitted to the new HaitianParliament. It is really fantastic that he did this just aftergetting the results of the poll. It was  3@orl 3@ one 3@  3@e of the decidingfactors. We can all feel very good in helping Haiti take anothersignificant step toward demilitarization. Half of the Haitians interviewed believe that the army hadalready been disbanded. Almost 90% say that the paramilitaryshould be disarmed. it is hoped that the results of the poll willhelp elect a  3AParliaInen 3A Parliament 3A  3At that favors a constitutional amendmentfor demilitarization and is able to put in place the necessarysystems to uphold justice and peace. We hope that the Aristide government can also respond to theresult-s of the poll and find ways to peacefully disarm theparamilitary. After getting the Nobel Peace Prize, I)r. Arias founded the AriasFoundation for Peace and Human Progress. He and his staff` workedout a strategy to help Panama pass a constitutional amendment in1994 to abolish its military. A similar plan is now succeeding in"h)0*0*0*1" helping Haiti to demilitarize; however,  3Blnuc 3B much 3B  3Bh work must be done tocomplete the process. The vision of a new way is a strong incentive toward making anend to the bloody conflicts of the past. Several groups will bemonitoring the election scheduled for June 25. They will includepeople from Witness for Peace, Voices for Haiti, WashingtonOffice on Haiti and Globa 3D) 3D l 3D  Exchange. [see enclosed brochure]. TheArias Foundation has also persuaded the Costa Rican government tose 3EIl 3E n 3E d some election monitors.. Despite numerous obstacles.including threats from the ar 3Frn 3F m 3F ed remnants of the past regime,let's hope that free and fair elections take place. The poll was only the first step. The new parliament, scheduledto be elected in late June. must vote to abolish the military.The next president, scheduled to be elected later this year,hopefully will favor demobilization. and finally the nextparliament to be elected in 1999 = 3Ir 3Hnus 3H m 3H = 3I mus 3I t vote for the constitutionalamendment in order for abolition to be enshrined in law. Address Telephone FAX Electronic Mail 42 Maple Ave. 518 274 0784 518 274 0331att: (Internet E-mail) Troy, New York Clark 274 0784 clarkg2@ 3K rpi.edu 12180 USA "P0*0*0*`" -?- The Arias Foundation now has an ongoing ca 3Lrn 3L m 3L paign in Haiti toimplement in concrete for 3Mrn 3M m 3M  the desire for demilitarization shownin the poll. This awareness-raising and education effort willhave three components. --A group of Haitian policy makers and grass roots leaders willbe brought to Costa Rica and Panama, which are Central America'stwo states without armies, to view the benefits and examinesuccessful models for surmounting the challenges of 3Ndernilitarizatio 3N demilitarization 3N  3Nn. --Public debates will be held by Haitians within Haiti on aspectsof demilitarization. --A variety of awareness-raising efforts through the Haitianmedia and the distribution of information will help educate theHaitian public on the benefits of living without an army. Thequarter million dollars needed for the,se efforts is being soughtfrom several sources. There is a total, including Haiti, of 16 small countries, acontinent, and a region that are demilitarized. The smallcountries are leading the way, demonstrating to the world themany practical advantages of doing without an army. Of the 16nations without militaries Costa  3OK 3O R 3O ica has the largest populationwith 3.3 million and the largest in area is Iceland. Seven ofthese 16 countries have declared their countries nuclear freezones as well. With the focused leadership of Arias and his staff, it has beenshown that even in this war torn and grossly over militarizedworld. enlightened leaders, with the support of their citize 3Qrlsl 3Q ns, 3Q can act on faith that there is hope for peace. By abolishingtheir militaries, they  3Rrn 3R m 3R ake a profound statement to theirneighbors and the world that they will take up arms no more anddevelop nonmilitary ways of security for their homeland. Since we have had the privilege of becoming acquainted with OscarArias, one quality, among  3Srn 3S m 3S any that we admire about him, is hislong-standing and consistent stand for the total abolition ofmilitaries. His country has had no military for almost 50 years.Now he is working to persuade other nations to follow thisexample. Unlike its Central American neighbors, Costa Rica has had no warsand no coups since it abolished its army in 1949. and it enjoys amuch higher living standard than other nations of the region. Amajor reason for this is because it did not squander itsresources on the military. There are at least 3 factors that assist a country in deciding todemilitarize. --A majority of the citizens must be in favor --The leaders must be willing."h)0*0*0*1"Ԍ--It helps considerably to have some solid outside support as wasgiven to Panama and is being given to Haiti. We are actively seeking to assist other countries which are readyto take this step and also find ways to offer educational andeconomic help to those developing countries alreadydemilitarized. In cooperation with the Arias Foundation, we hopeto be helping demilitarize other countries as the advantagesbecome apparent to nations burdened with militaries whichcontinue to lead toward war, not peace. It took 3 years forPanama to pass a constitutional amendment for demilitarizationand could take Haiti 4 more years. It will be  3Z n 3Z ecessary to haveseveral countries working through this process  3[sirnultaneousl 3[ simultaneously 3[  3[y. Dr. Arias has made proposals to all the world's governments thatthey dedicate a small percentage. possibly one-third of onepercent, of their gross domestic product to create a fund forworking through the many problems related to demilitarizingdeveloping countries. These outside funds, along with the savingsmade from abolishing the militaries, could then be used to clearland mines. train ex-soldiers. create non-military  3aJ 3a j 3a obs and doother conversion  3bprojecl 3b projects 3b  3bs "0*0*0*" -3- The poll showed that 40% of Haitians believe that the DominicanRepublic. the other country that is on the Isle of Hispaniolawith Haiti. is a potential enemy and that an army is needed forprotection. Reuters news service reported that Dr. A 3eir 3e ri 3e as urgedthe Dominican Republic to dissolve its armed forces and joinDominica and St. Kitts & Nevis to create a  3gdemilirarize 3g demilitarized 3g  3gd zone inthe Caribbean. If this neighboring country of Haiti would alsoabolish its army, it would i 3irn 3i m 3i prove the security of both. We have grouped the 16 countries without militaries into 4 zones: --Central American Zone with the demilitarized countries of CostaRica and Panama --Caribbean Zone with Dominica, Haiti and St.Kitts & Nevis --European Zone with Andorra. Holy See, Iceland, Liechtenstein.Monaco and the Aland Islands, a  3kKe_ 3k Re 3k gion --Pacific Zone with Kiribati 3l. 3l , 3l  Marshall Islands, Micronesia,Nauru, Tuvalu. and Western Samoa It is  3mencvuragin 3m encouraging 3m  3mg to know that demilitarization has been done. Itis being done in Haiti. It will be do 3nrl 3n n 3n e at an increasing rateglobally. External help to demilitarize a country is expensive. The AriasFoundation's Panama effort cost about $400,00. The Haiti pro 3rJ 3r j 3r ect.during the next 4 or 5 years. could cost as much as $50 3tC) 3t 0 3t ,000. Thelast information we have for military expenditures per year forHaiti was $34 million. This information is several years old andthe cost in recent years could be less. but comparing just thesefigures shows how great a financial benefit can be gained bydemilitarization. Similar to the  3y ro 3y le it played in Panama, theArias Foundation has now joined forces with the people andleaders of Haiti to make the final push to abolish the militarypermanently. The half million to be spent on the Foundation'scampaign is a one time outlay, whereas the savings on militaryexpenditures accrue annually and go on indefinitely. This gives atremendous return on the investment, so to speak. The savingsbecome available for such things as better education, health careand productive jobs to help eliminate poverty. We have hopes of influencing the International Monetary Fund andthe World Bank to give some special consideration todemilitarized countries, as well as those in the process ofabolishing their militaries such as Haiti. We will be seekingmore countries that may be willing to take steps to demilitarizeand we hope you will join us in these ventures. Below is the present financial statement, in round numbers, ofGlobal Demilitarization's fund raising effort for the 9;20.000needed to pay for the poll in Haiti and for work related topublicizing the results. All fund raising has been and is beingdone by volunteers with no overhead being charged. Some checks"h)0*0*0*1" are still coming in and we have not heard from some of thefoundations to which we have applied for funds. INCOME Donations and pledges from almost 200 individuals, organizationsand a foundation  3 $34,000 PROPOSED DISTRIBUTION Minimum to be sent to the Arias Foundation]  3   3 27.000Expenses to date [mailings. communications,  3  meetings with Dr. Arias. Dr. Tacsan &  3  Mr. Isacson from Arias Foundation]  3   3 4.000Surplus 3,000 " 0*0*0*" -4 Since Global Demilitarization raised well over the $20,000requested by Dr. Arias to pay for the poll, we plan to use the approximate 10% surplus in the waysindicated above to help demilitarize other countries and to seekeducational and economic help for countries already demilitarizedand in the process of doing so. If you prefer that all of your individual donation be used forthe Haiti project only, please advise us and your total donation.less expenses. will be sent to the Arias Foundation for thatpurpose. Your words of encouragement in your letters and in conversationswith many of you, along with your support, donations, mailinglists, and references to others interested in Haiti have beenadmirable. Your interest and cooperation has certainly helped tomake this first effort in working with The Arias Foundationsuccessful. We look forward to further demilitarization effortswith you in the future. Your ideas and suggestions, includingnames of personal contacts who might like to help with thiseffort. will certainly be appreciated. Your cooperation along with that of thousands of other dedicatedpeople who have been doing many very generous things for Haitifor many decades. is making a difference for the citizens ofHaiti. We are proud to be working with you on this endeavor. Our 25 page paper on the 16 countries without militaries will besent to you free on request. If you have an Email address please send it with any futurecorrespondence. If there is some interest. an on-going Internetdiscussion group could be started on the subject of military andnuclear disarmament. If you know of interested friends who may wish to contribute tothese follow-up efforts. or if you would like to make anadditional donation yourself, please make your tax deductible checks payable to: Albany. N.Y. Friends Meeting [Haiti project], which is a sponsorof Global Demilitarization, and email to Global Demilitarization 42 Maple Ave. Troy, NY 12180 USA Sincerely. Sue & Marvin Clark Co-directors Administrative Board Members:"h)0*0*0*1"ԌOscar Arias Sanchez, Nobel Peace Laureate, honorary member Bill Price, Director, World Peacemakers Mary Evelyn Jegen, SND, Pax Christi International Sue & Marvin Clark, Co-directors Dietrich Fischer, Author, Professor, Pace University  3   3 Maj Britt Theorin, European Parliament, honorary member Organizations are for identification only  3   3  Enclosures: Haiti Poll Clipping t-rom the Newark. N. J. Star Ledger, Reuters' release "Nonviolent Presence in Haiti, Peace Brigades Internationalbrochure which describes another effort to help secure peace in Haiti. "Election Watch Delegation to Haiti", spring 1995 brochure We recommend your support for the efforts described in both thesebrochures. We have received donations of $2.350 for these causeswhich are not included in the above figures