Press Releases & Updates 1998

Peace Camp, Sint-Vincentiuspark, Evere, Brussels

Brussels, --- This afternoon, a delegation of fifty peace activist and Members of the European and Belgian Parliaments held a "citizens war crimes inspection" at the NATO Headquarters in Brussels. The mission of the inspection team was to gather prove that the Alliance is preparing nuclear war crimes. The inspectors asked to receive documents about NATO’s Nuclear Planning Group and its first strike nuclear deterrent.

The citizens war crimes inspection was organised to mark the second anniversary of the historic opinion of the International Court of Justice in The Hague on the illegality of nuclear weapons. On July 8, 1996 this highest court in the world ruled that threat (i.e. also including construction, storage and planning) and use of nuclear weapons are contrary to international law, and more specifically to humanitarian law and the rules of war. Because, among others, the Hague Conventions, Geneva Conventions, Genocide Convention and Nuremberg Principles also apply to nuclear weapons, it follows that threat or use of these weapons of mass destruction is illegal and a war crime.

The delegation -- consisting of MEP’s David Morris (UK- Labour, Socialist fraction) and Jaak Vandemeulebroucke (B- Volksunie, ARE-fraction); Belgian MP Hugo Van Dienderen (also representing the Green Group in the EP); and Eirlys Rhiannon and Eloi Glorieux of Nuclear Weapons Abolition Days -- had a meeting with 4 senior NATO officials lasting over an hour. Unfriendly and tense, the NATO spokespersons downplayed the legal arguments and refused to answer concrete questions. According to them, they didn’t have to comply with the opinion of the International Court of Justice, because it is not legally binding (what they "forgot" was that the opinion is a clarification of existing international laws and conventions as the above, which have been ratified - and are thus binding - by the vast majority of states - including all 16 NATO-members!). NATO apparantly also shares the goal of nuclear disarmament, but this can only be realised in the very long term .. For the forseeable future, nuclear weapons will remain fundamental to NATO’s defence posture. Asked concrete questions regarding the number, yield, location, alarm status and precise targets of NATO nuclear weapons, they consistently replied "we can neither confirm nor deny .. " or "that’s secret".

Can we imagine Iraqi officials replying to UN weapons inspectors like that? As long as the answer to the question: "when is a weapon of mass destruction not a weapon of mass destruction?" is: "When it’s one of ours!", how credible is international law? How to dissuade Iraq, India, Pakistan, ... if we don’t dare clean up our own doorstep? ALL nuclear weapons are genocidal, whoever they belong to!

Because the delegation’s inspection did not yield sufficient information, 12 other citizens war crimes inspectors made their way into the NATO HQ-compound through the fence in small groups. They were looking for data files or documents which would indicate if the Alliance is making illegal plans for the threat or use of nuclear weapons of mass destruction. Just three weeks ago, the NATO Nuclear Planning Group met in this HQ. We want to inspect if any nuclear war crimes were planned here.

"All twelve citizens war crimes inspectors were arrested by NATO security and handed over to the belgian police. They were released at 4:30 p.m. "Not these non-violent peace activists, but those that flout international law and prepare illegal nuclear war crimes should be arrested and prosecuted", declared Eloi Glorieux.

"It is hypocritical to threaten with a new Gulf War in Iraq for denial to be allowed to carry out inspection for suspected possession of weapons of mass-destruction, when you have yourself control over large numbers", said Pol D’Huyvetter another spokesperson for the inspection team.

Citizens Inspectors denied a visa by Belgian authorities

The citizens inspection team had delegates from Belgium, Britain, Finland, the Netherlands, Ukraine and the USA. Non violent peace activists from Belarus, Romania, Russia, Sri Lanka and Ukraine who planned to join the peace camp and citizens inspection were not granted a visa by the Belgian authorities, despite the fact that the invitations were supported by Members of both the Belgian and European Parliament, and a Sri Lankan Secretary of State. The Citizens Inspection is part of actions coordinated by an international peace camp set up near NATO HQ in Evere till July 12th.

Printer friendly version

Home | Top