Disarmament Diplomacy
Issue No. 44, March 2000
Michael Douglas Appeals for British Leadership on Nuclear
Disarmament
By Nicola Butler and Lorna Richardson
The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Global Security and
Non-Proliferation, whose launch in January was reported in Disarmament Diplomacy 43, hosted a meeting
on March 20, at which the renowned actor and producer Michael
Douglas appealed for "statesmanship on the nuclear issue" and help
from British Parliamentarians to prevent the unravelling of three
key treaties: the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear
Weapons (NPT), the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) and the
Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty. Mr Douglas, speaking in his
capacity as a UN Messenger for Peace, addressed a packed audience
of MPs, Peers and journalists in the Grand Committee Room of the
Houses of Parliament.
This unusual meeting was chaired by Malcolm Savidge MP, Convener
of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Global Security and
Non-Proliferation. It was organised by the Acronym Institute, which
facilitates the All-Party Group, following an invitation from
Scilla Elworthy (of the Oxford Research Group), who met Mr Douglas
during a disarmament meeting in Atlanta, USA. In addition to
Michael Douglas and Dr Elworthy, the meeting was addressed by
Foreign Office Minister Peter Hain MP, and the frontbench
spokespeople from the Conservative and Liberal-Democrat Parties,
Cheryl Gillan MP and the Right Honourable Menzies Campbell Q.C.
MP.
Michael Douglas and Dr Elworthy both made strong pleas for Tony
Blair to show his commitment to non-proliferation by personally
attending the upcoming NPT Conference in New York. They also called
on him to take the lead in initiating multilateral negotiations on
nuclear disarmament. Peter Hain, the Minister currently designated
to lead the British delegation to the NPT, outlined the Government
position, describing the perceived proliferation threats and
underlining the steps already undertaken, such as increasing
transparency, reducing nuclear warheads and placing Trident on a
"reduced state of readiness". He said that Britain was in a
"particularly good position" to support the arms control and
non-proliferation treaties and said, "we have made no secret of our
extreme disappointment that the US Senate voted against
ratification" of the CTBT.
Ms Gillan harked back to the Conservative Party's record on
defence issues during the 1980s and early 1990s, claiming that
nuclear weapons had kept the peace, and offered support to the
United States in any defence-related or nuclear plans they might
have. Mr Campbell, who is also a vice-convener of the All-Party
Group, endorsed the call for the Prime Minister to show the
seriousness of Britain's commitment to multilateral
non-proliferation and disarmament by attending the opening of the
NPT Conference in person, noting that "other heads of state would
be bound to follow suit". Having accepted the utility of nuclear
deterrence during the Cold War years, he said, it was clear that
multilateral negotiations were now needed to prohibit and eliminate
nuclear weapons completely. In a follow-up editorial in The
Guardian, Mr Campbell argued "What better way for Mr Blair to
endorse a truly ethical foreign policy than taking on the challenge
of nuclear disarmament"?
Mr Douglas' passionate appeal for British leadership followed
the US Senate's rejection of CTBT ratification and ambitious
American plans for Star Wars-type ballistic missile defences that
would weaken and could destroy the ABM Treaty. During the meeting,
questions were raised about Britain's attitude towards US missile
defence plans, which revealed divisions between the Ministry of
Defence and the Foreign Office. A Conservative questioner quoted
the Defence Secretary, Geoffrey Hoon, as telling Channel 4
News that Britain would be "sympathetic" to US requests to
upgrade and use the radar base at RAF Fylingdales in Yorkshire,
which is earmarked in US plans as an essential component of the
proposed National Missile Defence (NMD) system. By contrast, Peter
Hain told the meeting that he was concerned about a "potential
conflict of interests" between US plans and the ABM regime, a
pillar of strategic security. Later he told the BBC
Newsnight television programme that he did not like the idea
of "a Star Wars programme, limited or unlimited".
On the following day, Michael Douglas, Malcolm Savidge MP and Dr
Elworthy met with the Foreign Secretary, the Rt. Hon. Robin Cook,
and held a further one-to-one meeting with Peter Hain. He also
spoke to a small gathering of NGOs organised by BASIC and the
Oxford Research Group. Apart from the odd snide editorial in The
Times and the London Evening Standard, the media
coverage of Michael Douglas's role in raising concerns about
non-proliferation and nuclear disarmament was generally good, and
gave front page and significant media coverage to these important
issues in ways that have been sadly lacking in the British media
for many years.
The next meeting of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Global
Security and Non-Proliferation will take place on April 11, with
speakers Rebecca Johnson, Director of the Acronym Institute, and
Professor John Simpson, Director of the Mountbatten Centre,
University of Southampton. The discussion will focus on "Challenges
to the NPT in the run-up to the 2000 Review Conference".
Nicola Butler is the Acronym Institute's Senior Analyst.
Lorna Richardson is the Acronym Institute's
Administrator.
© 2000 The Acronym Institute.
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