Press Releases & Updates 2009

Trident Ploughshares was one of three organisations that planned and organised the successful Trident and International Law: Scotland’s Obligations Conference held in Edinburgh on 3rd February. Around 45 lawyers, MSPs, civil servants and peace activists attended the conference to learn and exchange ideas about international law and Trident from an International and Scottish perspective.

The keynote speaker, Judge Weeramantry, was excellent, giving a humane and clear overview of international law and the obligations it puts upon us all. He was very encouraging and confirmed that global citizens have a right to try in every nonviolent manner they can think of to try to stop the deployment and use of nuclear weapons.

Others who gave presentations included the lawyers Dr. John Burroughs who brought us up to date on the NPT obligations and what was happening in the USA. Aidan O’Neill, a Scottish QC who talked about the LAR in 2000 told us about recent developments in the law and gave some good ideas on how to proceed through the courts. MSP Roseanna Cunningham and MP Angus Robertson reminded us of the SNP commitment to nuclear disarmament.

I spoke a little about civil society. I have sent copies of some of the presentations to TP so you can read and think about the information provided. It was good that TP was once again part of the continuing civil society, pressuring for nuclear disarmament and respect and strengthening of international humanitarian law.

Thankyou to Rebecca Johnson from Acronym and Janet Fenton from the Peace and Justice Centre who were the co-organisers of the event with TP.

Angie Zelter, 4 Feb 2009. http://www.nukewatch.org.uk/tp/

Conference Agenda

KEYNOTE Speech: H.E. Judge Christopher Weeramantry, Vice President of the ICJ 1996 and Chair of the Weeramantry International Centre for Peace Education and Research "The meaning of the historic ICJ Advisory Opinion of July 8, 1996 and its implications for national obligations"

Dr John Burroughs, Lawyers Committee on Nuclear Policy, USA "New developments on the illegality of nuclear weapons"

Aidan O’Neill QC "Reviewing developments in Scottish law since the Decision of the High Court of Justiciary in the Lord Advocate’s Reference on the 1999 nuclear weapons decision"

Angie Zelter, Trident Ploughshares - Civil Society and International Law

H.E. Judge Bedjaoui Keynote speech notes

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