Irish CND

On the

THE PARTNERSHIP for PEACE (PfP)
&
DEPLETED URANIUM (DU) WEAPONS

Since the civilian population of Iraq was exposed to DU (depleted
uranium) weapons, birth abnormalities have risen alarmingly, Nato's new
"weapons of peace", lethal for civilians, are now available to all
Partnership for Peace (PfP) forces.

As global leaders in the production of weapons of mass destruction, Nato
remains at the cutting edge of dirty and illegal weapons.

Do you really want to join them?

Nato refuses to deny the many claims that Depleted Uranium weapons and
armoury are at the disposal of its forces for use in peacekeeping and
peach-enforcement in Kosovo and elsewhere. Understandable when one
considers that:
Depleted Uranium missile and armoury were used extensively in bombing
civilian and military targets in Yugoslavia.

Four years ago, the Pentagon admitted that:
"[henceforth] all tanks and fighting vehicles will possibly contain DU
contamination" (sic).
[Department of Depleted Uranium Training Support Packages (p.37), US
Army Chemical School, October 1995].

"The inter-operability of Nato military forces could enable armed forces
throughout Europe to obtain and use Depleted Uranium weapons."
[Dan Fahey, former US naval officer, May 1999: "Depleted Uranium - a
Post-war Disaster for Environment and Health", Laka Foundation,
Amsterdam, p.14]

What is Depleted Uranium?
A cheap waste product of the nuclear industry now used in the
manufacture of military vehicles, shells and missiles. It make weapons
very hard and penetrative and more efficient in terms of killing power.
DU is highly toxic and radioactive with a half-life of 4.5 billion
years.

When DU shells explode, particles released into the air, soil and water
can cause lung cancer if ingested or inhaled. Uranium can pass through
the placenta, frequently causing congenital malformations, and is
transmitted to infants via mother's milk. It can damage ova and sperm,
causing genetic defects in offspring, and cause irreparable damage to
the kidneys and liver.

The Military Toxins Project and Dr. Hari Sharma of the University of
Waterloo, Ontario, have published the results of a study into the use of
DU munitions in the Gulf which show an increase of 20,000-100,000 fatal
cancers in Gulf veterans and Iraqi citizens.

What does Nato mean by "interoperability"?
A buzzword amongst pro-Nato politicians in Ireland, it means aligning
and arming Irish defence forces with high-tech Nato equipment -
including Depleted Uranium weapons.

Why is Irish CND opposed?
Ø Because high-order weapons are not central to peacekeeping whereas
high-order peacekeeping skills are. Irish UN troops have shown they
possess this in abundance.
Ø Because many of Nato's weapons are immoral, if not illegal. The UN
Human Rights Commission Sub Committee on Prevention of Discrimination &
Protection of Minorities has condemned Depleted Uranium arms as "weapons
of indiscriminate effect and mass destruction."
Ø Because the demand for high-tech weapons "interoperability" among
Partnership for Peace troops shows it up for what it really is: a
Partnership for War.
Ø Because "interoperability" demands will provide a boost to the
flagging arms industry in a post Cold War world.
Ø Because it will be at your - the taxpayer's - expense.

What about disarmament talks and conferences?
Nato countries, particularly the US, are now the main obstacles to the
progress and successful conclusion of many of these conferences. In
defiance of work opinion, Nato has again declared that nuclear weapons
remain the cornerstone of its military policy and that Nato retains a
"first strike option" of nuclear weapons in conventional wars.

US use of "sub-critical" nuclear tests and French "computer simulation"
tests have broken the spirit, if not the letter, of the Comprehensive
Test Ban Treaty and the Non-Proliferation Treaty. Little wonder that
India and Pakistan felt justified in pursuing their nuclear weapons
programme.

Any successes for the peace movement?
Yes. Against fierce opposition, principally from the US and Britain, the
UN World Court in the Hague found that using, or threatening to use,
nuclear weapons was totally contrary to international law in almost all
circumstances. Neutral Ireland played a courageous part in this landmark
ruling.

The fact that Nato turned its back on the findings is a reflection on
Nato and not on the Court's judgement or integrity.

What about the so-called "millennium initiatives"?
The global "Abolition 2000" campaign, calling on governments to initiate
an international conference at UN level to rid the world of nuclear
weapons once and for all, attracted the representative signatures of
263,000 concerned Irish citizens.

Irish CND launched the petition on Hiroshima Day 1996 with the Lord
Mayor of Dublin first to sign, quickly followed by many prominent
politicians.

In June 1998 the Irish government took the lead internationally to
launch a New Agenda Coalition (now known as the "Dublin Declaration") of
seven nations pledged to pursue "Abolition 2000" objectives, a
resolution since ratified in the UN Geneva Assembly by 114 votes to 18.
Many likened this to the Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty initiated by
neutral Ireland in the 1950's and still known as the Irish Resolution)

How can a small country like Ireland play such a central role in world
peace & disarmament?
Ireland's positive neutrality, particularly its refusal to join any
military alliances, is central.

Successfully arguing the case for Ireland's admission to the Conference
on Disarmament in 2000, the Irish permanent ambassador in Geneva, Anne
Anderson, declared, "because Ireland is not a member of Nato, [it]
enjoyed a wide range of friendships with other countries and is,
therefore, well placed to act as a 'bridge-builder' between different
interests".

The fact that Ireland - alone in the EU - has never colonised another
country and has itself suffered colonisation may further explain the
high standing it enjoys among developing countries.

How many military alliances are left in the world?
Only one and that's Nato. All the more curious considering that since
the Cold War ended, Nato has not been threatened by anyone. Nato,
however, threatens others a great deal, most of all by its immoral and
illegal "first strike" nuclear threat against other countries.

Why is CND so opposed to military alliances? Are they not a guarantee of
world peace?
History shows that military alliances have usually led to wars. They
have always led to a build-up of arms. Whether the Nato alliance
stimulates a counter military alliance is a matter of some speculation.
Already there are signs that significant forces within Russia and china
may move in that direction.

In 1993, Irish CND warned that: "If Nato does not disband now that the
Cold War is over [but] continues to expand its membership, a Second Cold
War is probably inevitable. Only the arms industries will benefit and
the world will be less safe. The world now has a unique opportunity to
progressively invest a greater authority in a reformed UN by enabling it
to act as the world's peace-broker in accordance with its founding
Charter an opportunity which may never come again".

So what is the PfP or Partnership for Peace?
An arrangement between some northern hemisphere states - not necessarily
members of Nato - on a programme of co-operation with Nato. It has been
called a "force for peace" (President Clinton) and "the white race in
arms"(Martin Walker, Guardian, October 27th 1998). CND views it as a
dangerous attempt to upstage - and eventually replace - the UN's
peacekeeping role.

And is the PfP actually a Nato body?
Nato itself admits that it is: "Active participation in the PfP will
play an important role in the evolutionary process of the enlargement of
Nato" (Study on Nato Enlargement, September 1995, Nato Report).

In 1997, before he became Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern said: "we oppose Irish
participation in Nato itself and in Nato-led organisations such as
Partnership for Peace"

He further declared that a referendum would be required before Ireland's
participation in the PfP could be agreed.

As Taoiseach, he now intends to sign Ireland up to Nato's so-called
"Partnership for Peace" without giving the Irish people their voice
through the referendum he once promised.

It is now up to the people of Ireland to defend their neutrality, and
stop Bertie Ahern committing us to the PfP and DU weapons, by demanding
their inalienable right to
SAY NO
to Ireland's involvement in military alliances
SAY NO
to the use and threat of nuclear weapons
SAY NO
to lethal Depleted Uranium weapons
SAY NO
to Nato's so-called Partnership for "Peace"

Make your voice heard by writing to your TD's today, demanding they
clearly state their position on the issues of Ireland's membership of
the PfP & use of DU weapons.

Join Irish CND and help work towards a world free form the threat of
nuclear weapons, of another futile arms race, of unnecessary and
unwanted military alliances, of weapons designed primarily to kill and
maim civilians.

For further information about Irish CND, call 087 236 4312.
To join, write to Irish CND c/o Stephen Gilroy, 150 Walsh Road,
Drumcondra, Dublin 9.
Annual membership for individuals is £10, for families £15 and for
students, under-18's, over-65's and unwaged £5.

Cover photograph on pamphlet (taken in Iraq in January 1999) by Karen
Robinson. Pamphlet compiled and written in September 1999 by Billy
Fitzpatrick of Irish CND. Printed on recycled paper.

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