Carah Ong / Nuclear Age Peace Foundation – 2004-11-05 08:39:10

http://www.wagingpeace.org

SANTA BARBARA, CA (November 3, 2004) – The primary mandate of President George W. Bush is to protect US citizens. In fact, Republicans and Democrats alike agree that nuclear proliferation and terrorism are THE greatest threats facing the US.

n his second term, President Bush has the opportunity to make Americans safer and more secure by implementing responsible nuclear policies that will prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and prevent terrorists from obtaining and using nuclear weapons against the US.

To accomplish these goals, the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation recommends that President Bush’s first order of business in his second term should be providing global leadership to create and maintain a worldwide inventory of nuclear weapons and nuclear weapons materials and to place these weapons and materials under strict international safeguards.

The US should also immediately increase its efforts and devote more resources to securing loose nuclear weapons and materials in Russia.

Preventing nuclear proliferation and nuclear terrorism cannot be based on double-standards. A US nuclear policy that relies on these weapons for the foreseeable future, combined with the doctrine of preemptive warfare, encourages other nations to acquire nuclear weapons in pursuit of their own security needs.

President Bush should immediately cease all efforts to create a dangerous new generation of nuclear weapons, including the Robust Nuclear Earth Penetrator (“bunker-busters”) and low-yield nuclear weapons (“mini-nukes”). Researching and developing new generations of nuclear weapons undermines US credibility in persuading other nations not to pursue their own nuclear arsenals.

President Bush has said that the US must shoulder the responsibility of leading global efforts to halt proliferation of nuclear weapons.

To do this, the US must lead all nuclear weapons states in fulfilling their existing obligations under international law to pursue the phased elimination of nuclear weapons. There is no other way to assure that these weapons will not be obtained or used by terrorists or states hostile to the US.

“President Bush’s number one mandate this term is to fulfill his campaign promise to protect US citizens from the greatest threats facing us today – nuclear proliferation and terrorism,” stated David Krieger, President of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation. “President Bush must restore US credibility around the world by implementing responsible nuclear policies.”

For more than 20 years, the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation has been committed to advancing initiatives to eliminating the nuclear weapons threat to all life, to fostering the global rule of law, and to building an enduring legacy of peace through education and advocacy.

For more information on the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, visit www.wagingpeace.org or contact Carah Ong, Communications Director, at (805) 965-3443 or email cong@napf.org.