PRESS RELEASE

12 July 2001

U.K. Lawmakers, Allies Support 
Strengthened ABM Treaty

JULY 12 – U.K. parliamentarians have recently stepped up their pressure on the government of Prime Minister Tony Blair to reinforce the importance of the ABM Treaty for nuclear non-proliferation and global stability. Britain has expressed its concern to the Bush administration about the possible involvement of U.K. radar sites key to the functioning of upgraded warning systems, and the potential for Britain becoming a target in an enemy strike against the United States.

Labour parliamentarian Malcolm Savidge last month tabled a motion that "expresses concern at President Bush's intention to move beyond the constraints of the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty in developing missile defence" and endorses last year’s report from a parliamentary committee which "questioned whether US plans to deploy NMD represent an appropriate response to the proliferation problems faced by the international community." The motion has gathered the signatures of over 250 members of parliament, of which 197 are members from Blair’s Labour party.

Later this summer, Labour party officials also are hoping to include language in the final document from the annual party conference declaring opposition to British cooperation with U.S. missile defense initiatives. Since the early June elections, Labour members and union leaders in the U.K. have amplified their voices against the use of British radar sites at Fylingdales and Menwith Hill. The United States must receive permission from the U.K. government before performing the necessary upgrades to those sites. [For background, see the Guardian article.]

The latest statements in Britain showing support for maintaining the ABM Treaty reinforce the recent concern expressed by U.S. allies over the impact of U.S. efforts to develop a national missile defense (NMD) system. The unilateral steps by the Bush administration to advance its NMD plans clearly fly in the face of international opinion and threaten global security. Countries worldwide have expressed considerable disagreement with these initiatives:

· "We have indicated that the rules-based system of arms control is a very important characteristic for Canada ... We are urging the United States to work with Russia to evolve the ABM treaty if it is necessary to do so. But that they not move unilaterally to abrogate or violate ABM." (John Manley, Canadian Foreign Minister, 25 June 2001)

· "There is a need to consolidate and build upon existing disarmament and non-proliferation agreements, specifically to prevent a new arms race and to maintain the non-weaponized status of outer space." (Kofi Annan, United Nations Secretary-General, 1 May 2001)

· "An effective, treaty-based arms control and disarmament regime must be preserved and expanded, including effective and verifiable prevention of proliferation." (Joschka Fischer, German Foreign Minister, 1 May 2001)

 For more information, please contact: 
Mark Bromley in London on +44 (0)20 7407 2977 or
Christine Kucia in Washington on +1 202 347 8340 

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