2.  2.1 The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists announced that the Doomsday Clock is still very close to midnight. Sara Medi Jones, CND spokesperson, said: “With President Trump’s announcement that the US will withdraw from the INF treaty, it sadly comes as no surprise that the Doomsday clock is still very close to midnight. “The landmark INF treaty saw the elimination of nearly 3000 nuclear weapons and if it is scrapped there is a danger we will see the return of US nuclear missile here in Britain. Tearing up the treaty threatens to ramp up the arms race between the US and Russia, with Britain caught in the crossfire. The British government should immediately make clear that it will refuse to host US missiles if the treaty is scrapped. The response we’ve received so far from the government has not been particularly encouraging. We must make clear it would not be tolerated.

 2.2 Responding to Donald Trump’s decision to begin US withdrawal from the INF treaty. Sara Medi Jones, CND spokesperson, said: “This is a very dangerous decision. The US beginning the process of withdrawal threatens to ramp up a nuclear arms race between the US and Russia. Let’s remember this decision comes after the US withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal, so Trump appears to be attempting to break with all forms of international arms control. From a UK perspective, we could now see a return to US nuclear missiles on British soil like we did in the 1980s. The British government must step up over the next six months to do all it can to save the treaty. It should also guarantee that it will not offer to host US nuclear missiles if the treaty is scrapped – to do so would massively increase the threat of nuclear war here in Europe. NATO’s decision to place the blame solely with Russia is highly irresponsible. Both Russia and the US have concerns that the other side isn’t fulfilling their obligations. These concerns must be discussed and resolved, but it will be much harder to do that now the US is withdrawing.”

Watch our video to find out about Donald Trump’s latest decision.

In these busy and dangerous times, read about CND’s campaigns and how we can campaign together for a better world. We also write about Hitachi’s decision to halt work at two nuclear power stations and its wider implications for UK energy policy.
Read Campaign: February edition
Download Campaign: February edition

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3. Mayors and parliamentarians call on the U.S. and Russiato preserve the INF Treaty. Mayors, parliamentarians, policy experts and civil society representatives from forty countries – mostly Europe and North America –  sent an open letter on 30th January, the Basel Appeal for Disarmament and Sustainable Security, to Presidents Putin and Trump and to the leaders of the Russian and US legislatures, calling on them to preserve the Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, prevent a new nuclear arms race in Europe and undertake measures to reduce the risk of a nuclear conflict and support global nuclear disarmament. (Appeal also available in French, German, Russian and Spanish). EdinburghCND supported this.

Will it change their minds? Not likely. But the appeal was also sent to the leaders of US congressional and Russian parliamentary committees in charge of armed forces (defense) and foreign relations. It calls on them to refuse to authorize or allocate funding for nuclear weapons systems which the INF Treaty bans, for example ground-based intermediate range nuclear missiles, or weapons systems which could provide similar capability and be similarly destabilizing, such as air or sea launched nuclear-armed cruise missiles. This could be the key to preserving the arms control measures of the INF Treaty even if it collapses. If the relevant committees refuse to authorize funds for these nuclear weapons systems, it makes it next to impossible for them to be developed. The appeal also outlines a commitment by the endorsing mayors and parliamentarians to build support from cities and parliaments in nuclear-armed and allied States (which includes NATO countries) for nuclear risk reduction measures such as “no first use” policies.                                                                                                                                                     A joint statement is being issued on 13th February by European and North American Vice Presidents and Lead Cities of Mayors for Peace, in support of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, on our concerns with the suspension of the INF Treaty on nuclear weapons. It is going on the Mayors for Peace website, NFLA website and you are encouraged to promote it through your own civil society networks.http://www.nuclearpolicy.info – includes links to NFLA Facebook and Twitter pages Mayors for Peace Website: http://www.mayorsforpeace.org

Extra from PNND: We mourn the death on February 6, 2019 of PNND Co-President Paul Dewar (Canada), an amazing humanitarian, educator and parliamentarian. Dewar joined PNND just after being elected to parliament in 2006, and became PNND Co-President in 2015. He played important roles in advancing nuclear risk-reduction and disarmament in the Canadian House of Commons and also at the NATO Parliamentary Assembly and OSCE Parliamentary Assembly.

 

5. Hunterston B update see: https://scote3.wordpress.com/2019/02/06/more-on-hunterston/ NEW: 14/2/2019  EDF who own and operate Hunterston B have still not provided the Office of Nuclear Regulation with an updated safety report following their discovery of an unexpectedly high number of fractures in the graphite barrels that enclose the fuel rods in the nuclear reactors.  The two blogs below report on Ian Fairlie’s most recent meetings.  https://www.ianfairlie.org/news/why-hunterston-b-nuclear-power-station-should-not-be-restarted/  https://realfeed-intariffs.blogspot.com/2019/02/scottish-minister-pressed-to-back.html  In some countries, authorities routinely issue iodine to residents and schools near nuclear power stations https://www.thestar.com/politics/provincial/2019/01/07/nuclear-safety-group-to-look-at-stockpiling-anti-radiation-pills-in-more-toronto-schools.html https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/pgd-potassium-iodide-65mg.pdf

6. Future Event: An Evening with Prof Paul Rogers. Title: Risks of Conflict and Options for Peace in the 2020s. Chair: Simon Barrow, Director, Ekklesia. Venue: Sanctuary, Augustine United Church, 41 George IV Bridge, Edinburgh, EH1 1EL Date: Thursday 7 March 2019. Time: Registration: 6.30pm-7pm. Event: 7pm-8.45pm. Event Description: What will be the most likely causes of international conflict in the 2020s, what are the best ways of responding to them and improving the prospects for a less violent world, and what roles can Scotland play?