Disarmament Conference at the UN

April 24-26, 1996

NGO Committee on Disarmament invites you to

1996: DISARMAMENT AT A CRITICAL JUNCTURE

Two days of discussions at the United Nations with many prominent experts including

1995 Nobel Peace Laureate JOSEPH ROTBLAT

and

Commemorating the Tenth Anniversary of the Chernobyl Tragedy

April 24-25, 1996

For information and a United Nations pass for the events, please contact the NGO Committee on Disarmament immediately:

tel 1.212.687.5340
fax 1.212.687.1643
e-mail: disarmtimes@igc.apc.org
mail: 777 United Nations Plaza, New York, NY 10017, USA
Web: http://www.peacenet.org/disarm/

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS:

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24, 1996

10am-12:30pm:

GENERAL AND COMPLETE DISARMAMENT:
DEAD LETTER OR CONTINUING COMMITMENT?

Article VI of the Non Proliferation Treaty mandates nuclear disarmament and a treaty on general and complete disarmament. What does this call for? What should be the conventional arms control agenda?

Speakers:
JONATHAN DEAN, Union of Concerned Scientists, former US negotiator
RANDALL FORSBERG, Institute for Defense and Disarmament Studies
DANIEL PLESCH, British American Security Information Council (BASIC)
JORDANA FRIEDMAN, Council on Economic Priorities, Year 2000 Campaign

2-5:15pm:

THE NUCLEAR TEST BAN NEGOTIATIONS AND NEXT STEPS

Negotiations on a Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) are at a critical stage. New draft texts have been submitted by Iran and Australia. India wants to condition the treaty on a timetable on nuclear disarmament. Diplomats and NGOs will report on the negotiations and discuss far-ranging steps toward nuclear disarmament. Panelists will include:

AMB. STEPHEN LEDOGAR, Head of U.S. Delegation to Conference on Disarmament
LOUISE HAND, Head of Australian Delegation to Disarmament Commission
AMBASSADORS FROM INDIA AND IRAN invited
RICHARD GARWIN, IBM Fellow; Science and Policy Advisor, ACDA:

"Computer Simulations, Sub-critical Experiments and Other Activities Under a CTBT"
MICHAEL KREPON, President, Stimson Center
WILLIAM EPSTEIN, Pugwash: "Beyond the NPT -- Next Steps of Nuclear Disarmament"

7:30-9pm: ** SPECIAL EVENT **

NUCLEAR-FREE AND WAR-FREE: GETTING TO ZERO

Stephen Wise Free Synagogue, 30 West 68th Street, New York City; $10 ($5 students/seniors) Co-sponsored with: Int'l Peace Bureau, Int'l Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, Int'l Lawyers Against Nuclear Arms 1995 Nobel Peace Laureate JOSEPH ROTBLAT will appear with two colleagues on the Canberra Commission on the Elimination of Nuclear Weapons:
MAJ BRITT THEORIN, Swedish Parliamentarian, President of International Peace Bureau
DR. RON McCOY, Malaysian Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War


THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 1996

10am-12:30pm:

COMMEMORATION OF THE CHERNOBYL TRAGEDY

Co-sponsored by U.N. Department of Public Information and World Information Transfer. 1995 Nobel Peace Laureate JOSEPH ROTBLAT of Pugwash Conferences will speak at 10:30am on "A Nuclear-Weapon-Free World Leading to a War-Free World."

Also:

AMB. ANATOLI ZLENKO of Ukraine: "International Cooperation in Ameliorating the Consequences of the Chernobyl Tragedy"
DR. B. ANDEMICAEL, International Atomic Energy Agency: "Chernobyl - Ten Years Later"

1:30-3:30pm:

NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT: MOVING TOWARD ZERO

The Australian government has sponsored the first government-level commission to propose concrete steps toward eliminating nuclear weapons. A number of NGO initiatives and campaigns point to the same goal. We will hear from members of the Australian commission, the Abolition 2000 Network, and the Henry L. Stimson Center. In addition, representatives of the Mayors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki will speak/P>

5:30-7pm:

NGO CAUCUS: GOALS AND STRATEGIES FOR 1996

Church Center for the United Nations, 777 U.N. Plaza (44th St. & 1st Avenue) Informal discussion for networking, strategizing and follow-up.


NOTE: The commemoration of Chernobyl will continue at the United Nations, as part of the World Information Transfer's Fifth Annual Conference on Health and the Environment. The government of Lebanon is co-sponsoring the Conference, titled "Toxic Waste: Its Effect on Health." H.E. Marwan Hamadeh, Minister of Health of Lebanon, will deliver the keynote address on Thursday, April 25 at 3:00pm. The Conference will conclude on Friday, April 26 at 1:00pm. For more information, call 1.212.686.1996.


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