MEDIA RELEASE ACDN (Action des Citoyens pour le Désarmement Nucléaire) salutes, translates, dessiminates and unreservedly makes its own the message that was sent from Japan yesterday to President Obama by the World Conference against Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs: « Tokyo, 25 May 2016 Dear Mr. President, It is significant that you are going to Hiroshima as the first sitting U.S. President on the occasion of your visit to Japan to attend the G7 Summit Conference. As you said in Prague, one nuclear weapon exploded, be it anywhere in the world, would cause catastrophic consequences. We hope that you take this opportunity to give heed to the testimonies of the Hibakusha, the A-bomb sufferers, to deeply know of the inhumane effect of the nuclear bomb. We call on you from the bottom of our heart to make bold steps forward now to achieve a “World without Nuclear Weapons”, including in particular the commencement of negotiations for a treaty totally banning and eliminating nuclear weapons. Yours sincerely.” This wish expressed by hibakusha joins with the desire of the international community as was expressed strongly in Geneva at the start of May 2016 by the representatives of the majority of non-nuclear nations and by numerous international NGOs, who gathered there for the 2nd session of the UN Working Group on the abolition of nuclear weapons. This is the very objective being pursued by the group of French MPs and senators, growing in number, who have signed a bill aimed at organising a “shared initiative” referendum (parliamentarians and citizens) on the following question: « Do you want France to negotiate and ratify with all the States concerned a treaty to ban and completely eliminate nuclear weapons, under mutual and international control that is strict and effective? » The same objective, according to a recent IFOP poll, is desired by 3 out of 4 French citizens. It is high time that France became part of this movement and honoured her international obligations. Similarly, it is high time that France’s national press and media acted on their duty of informing the public, and gave coverage to this desire – widely shared in French and global opinion – “We want a world without nuclear weapons. We want them abolished.” ***
26 May 2016