Statement made on 22 November 2011 by Senator Roméo Dallaire
Hon. Roméo Antonius Dallaire:
Honourable senators, a headline in The Telegram from St. John's said that the Israeli defence chief wants to keep nuclear weapons out of Iran. I quote Israel's defence minister, Ehud Barak, who said in the article:
I believe the world will join hands and live up to its commitment to block Iran from turning nuclear. . . . And we've said all along to friends all around the world not to remove any option off the table and I'm glad to notice many leaders . . . repeating this very phrase.
The Pugwash Council met for its 59th conference from July 1 to 4 this year. The Pugwash Council was created in a little town called Pugwash, Nova Scotia, by Cyrus Eaton in 1957. We have led the movement not only in nuclear disarmament but also in non-proliferation.
The first day, the conference was devoted to the theme of European security and nuclear disarmament. It had the Russian and American deputy foreign ministers attending and being heavily engaged. The themes of tactical nuclear weapons in Europe, revisiting the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe, strengthening the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, the role of ballistic missile defence systems in U.S.-Russian relations, and the role of Europe in the path to Global Zero dominated the discussions. Global Zero is the aim of disarmament of nuclear weapons.
The next three days were devoted to a series of working groups on nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, prospects of peace and security in the Middle East, regional stability in Central and South Asia, the situation in Afghanistan and Indo-Pakistani relations, and European security and disarmament. The plenary sessions were held on Iranian nuclear policy — What future for Palestine? How can Europe help? — and on eliminating the weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East.
The aim or main objective of Pugwash, an international movement that we created and led, is the elimination of all weapons of mass destruction — nuclear, chemical and biological — and of war as a social institution to settle international disputes. To that extent, the peaceful resolution of conflicts through dialogue and mutual understanding is an essential part of the Pugwash activities. That is particularly relevant when and where nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction are deployed and could be used.
It is fine to argue that we do not want proliferation of small arms in potentially perceived rogue countries. That is only part of the problem. The essence of the problem is nuclear disarmament and the elimination of those absolutely useless weapons systems that are an affront to our human right to security in the world.