Geneva, Nov. 7. Last week six major powers agreed to draft a third UN Security Council resolution on sanctions against Iran over its nuclear programme. Officials from the US, Russia, China, France, Britain and Germany will meet on 19 November to assess UN and EU reports. Meanwhile, there are continuing rumours and warlike gestures, threatening strikes against Iran, and this against the background of revived international tensions and a re-launching of the arms race. These developments are causing grave concern around the world.

Yes, we must prevent new countries acquiring nuclear weapons. To reach that goal, states that already possess nuclear weapons themselves must renounce their claim that these weapons are indispensable for their security, and commit themselves to making real progress towards nuclear disarmament, as they are legally bound to do by international treaties. This is a matter of justice and respect for international law. It is also a question of the survival of humanity, since weapons always end up being used.

In the case of Iran, the heavy-handed attitude demonstrated by the US and some of its allies like the UK and France, risks pushing the world into a spiral of horror. The negotiations that have recently had some positive results should be the only option; they have shown their effectiveness in the North Korean case. Also, the Iranian people must be convinced that they are safe from attack, contrary to what the partisans of the clash of civilizations and those who favour a confrontation at any price might say. The whole region of the Middle East must commit itself to disarmament. The end of the occupation of Iraq, and the resolution of the Israel-Palestinian conflict, will help to ease the tensions felt by the peoples of this region who have suffered so much from war.

The IPB, conscious that humankind has reached a critical point in relation to nuclear proliferation, appeals to the peoples of the world to act now to relaunch the disarmament process. Not only is the survival of mankind at stake; disarmament could free up enormous resources that could be used to respond to the challenges of development, the environment, education and health - the essential building blocks of sustainable peace.

PAKISTAN : IPB CALLS FOR ACTION TO RESTORE DEMOCRACY

The world is holding its breath in view of the developments in Pakistan.
One of the IPB's member groups in the country, the Human Friends Organization,
fears that Pakistan may be heading towards a civil war, and calls for attention
and actions from human rights and peace organizations all over the world.
In addition to reports from media, the Human Friends Organizations writes:

14 January 2008

Dear friends of IPB,

One of the highlights of the IPB calendar every year is the possibility of nominating candidates for the Nobel Peace Prize. IPB has the formal right to make a nomination, and we have executed that right most years, and also sometimes managed to attract the interest of the Nobel Committee so that our candidate has also become the Nobel Peace Prize laureate. Board members can also nominate.

It is now due time to make nominations for 2008. The nomination has to reach the Nobel Institute before the end of January, and I now invite all members and friends of IPB to send suggestions for nominations to our office in Geneva - within the next week or so. Your suggestions will be collected by our secretary general Colin Archer.

Core peace issues
The Nobel Peace Prize has for too many occasions been given to general good purposes, like last year's prize to climate change issues (Al Gore and the intergovernmental panel), and in that way helped to watered down core peace issues like fighting nuclear weapons, working with conflict resolution and non violence.

Many efforts are valuable and may contribute to peace, but it was a specific idea of Alfred Nobel to set up a peace prize in his will, in addition to medicine, physics, literature etc.

In his will, Alfred Nobel writes that the prize is intended for “fredsförfäktare” – which is a very nice old word in the Swedish language. You may translate that to English as “champions of peace”, in any case it has a much stronger value than the usual translation “promoters of peace”.

Is it legal?
One could even question whether the current interpretation of the will of Alfred Nobel would stand a legal test. The literature prize is not given to film producers, no matters how good they are, and the Nobel prize for medicine is not given to for instance Al Gore, even if the climate problem is one of the most important health issues we have on earth in the future!

IPB former vice president Fredrik Heffermehl (email: fredpax@online.no) in Norway has stressed the need for questioning the rather pragmatic policies of the Norwegian Nobel Committee and even the legality of their interpretation of the will of Alfred Nobel.

But whatever will happen to such a discussion, the absolute best way to ensure that the Nobel Peace Prize will be given to a Champion of Peace would be to give the committee enough good names to make their choice.

Attention
No doubt the cause of disarmament and demilitarisation would gain very much from the attention that the Nobel Peace Prize stimulates, both at the annual event in December, and on the day of the announcement.

That is, in short, why your response with name-suggestions for the IPB nomination is requested this year more than than ever before.

With my best greetings

Tomas Magnusson
President
International Peace Bureau

'Books or Bombs?'

Every year IPB organises a seminar, together with business meetings and the Sean MacBride Peace Prize ceremony. This year we shall break new ground by holding our meeting in Alexandria, EGYPT.

Please download the Alexandria Brochure with the draft programme of the IPB´s main international gathering in 2007: our seminar "Books or Bombs? Sustainable Disarmament for Sustainable Development," which will now be held in ALEXANDRIA from NOV. 11-12 (Sunday and Monday). This will be followed with the annual Council meeting (Nov. 13). [NOTE: A summary of the Alexandria Brochure in German is also available.]

We are very privileged to be able to hold this event at the prestigious Bibliotheca Alexandrina, and in cooperation with the Peace Studies Institute. We believe it is a vital opportunity to develop dialogues with our friends in the region.

Registration deadline was Nov. 1. See Registration Form. Please also read Practical Matters Re Alexandria Seminar carefully if you plan to go.

Click here for FINAL PROGRAMME.

Click here for the speech of IPB President Tomas Magnusson.