Petition by Aaron T. / Avaaz.org & Global Zero – 2013-06-11 01:44:09

http://www.avaaz.org/en/petition/The_five_major_nuclear_powers_to_stop_boycotting_multilateral_efforts_and_attend_the_World_Summit_on_Nuclear_Disarmament/?fWKGdab&pv=1

An Idea That Changed the World
Global Zero

ACTION ALERT: The 5 Nuclear Powers Should Attend the Nuclear Disarmament Summit
Petition by Aaron T. / Avaaz.org

To be delivered to:
The Heads of Government and State of the five nuclear-weapon states.

AUSTRIA (June 10, 2013) — The absence of nuclear-weapon state delegations at the Oslo Conference on the Human Impact of Nuclear Weapons in March and at the Geneva Open-Ended Working Group on Taking Forward Multilateral Negotiations on Achieving and Maintaining a World Free of Nuclear Weapons in May has raised serious doubts about your commitment to pursue negotiations in good faith on nuclear disarmament.

We urge you to personally attend the United Nations General Assembly on 26 September to participate in the High-Level Meeting on Nuclear Disarmament and declare unambiguously before the entire world that you will, henceforth, actively pursue every opportunity for multilateral dialog and negotiations to eliminate the nuclear threat.

Why this Is Important
Establishing a nuclear-weapon-free world requires international cooperation. As the first-ever world summit on nuclear disarmament, the 26 September High-Level Meeting on Nuclear Disarmament could be the beginning of the end of the nuclear threat.

But the nuclear-weapons states — China, France, Russia, UK, and USA — have already this year collectively decided not to attend the two other major multilateral events regarding nuclear weapons: the March meeting in Oslo on the Human Impact of Nuclear Weapons and the May Geneva meetings of the Open-Ended Working Group on Taking Forward Multilateral Negotiations on Achieving and Maintaining a World Without Nuclear Weapons.

Will these countries be represented at the highest level on 26 September at the General Assembly? Or will another collective decision be made, this time to send low level officials? Their refusal to cooperate will be used as an excuse by other leaders not to cooperate with global nonproliferation efforts.

A willingness to cooperate would inspire other leaders to help hold the line against proliferation, while negotiations proceed to prohibit and eliminate all nuclear weapons.
This petition could tip the balance.