Irish Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament

Allied Irish Banks financing US nuclear arms maker

Nuclear disarmament campaigners have criticized Allied Irish Banks for financing US nuclear arms maker Babcock & Wilcox. In May 2010 the banking group loaned an estimated US$28 million to the company, which is heavily involved in the manufacture of US nuclear warheads and missiles, according to a new report released by the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) and ethical investment firm Profundo.

The Irish Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament has given a cautious welcome to the announcement on February 29 of a nuclear moratorium by North Korea.

Talks between US and North Korean officials in Beijing have yielded positive developments, including a halt to uranium enrichment and to the testing of long-range missiles. The agreement is based on US food aid to North Korea, which withdrew from the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) in 2003. The country has since developed its nuclear capacity in secret and its current nuclear capabilities remain unclear.

Irish CND congratulates Michael D. Higgins on his election as the ninth President of Ireland, and welcomes the election as head of state of one of the country's most consistent campaigners for human rights and disarmament.

Irish CND Chairperson, Dr David Hutchinson Edgar, was one of the speakers at a symposium at the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh to mark UN International Peace Day on 21st September.

On Saturday, 6th August, over 40 people gathered in Dublin's Merrion Square, despite heavy rain, to mark the 66th anniversary of the dropping of the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima in 1945. Approximately 80,000 people were killed directly by the bomb blast, with the death toll rising to 140,000 within a year.

The commemoration was addressed by the Lord Mayor of Dublin, Cllr Andrew Montague, Patrick Comerford, President of the Irish Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, and His Excellency Mr Chihiro Atsumi, the Japanese ambassador to Ireland.

The Irish Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament has marked the global day of action for the abolition of nuclear weapons with a call on nuclear weapons states to reduce the operational readiness of their nuclear weapons systems as a first step towards disarmament.

The global day of action on June 25th was called by the International Campaign for the Abolition of Nuclear Weapons, ahead of a two-day summit of the five permanent members of the UN security council in Paris to discuss nuclear security issues.

The Irish CND Executive Committee has unanimously endorsed a new initiative of the World Court Project, voicing the belief that the use of nuclear weapons use would violate international law. The Criminality of Nuclear Weapons (CON) project calls on organisations and individuals to sign an Affirmation voicing their belief that the use of nuclear weapons use would violate international law.

Following the dreadful events of the earthquake and tsunami which affected north-east Japan, Irish CND has written to the Japanese ambassador to Ireland to express our profound sadness at the devastating impact of this catastrophe. Many Irish CND members have visited Japan and feel a strong affinity with the Japanese people.

The Irish Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament has welcomed the ratification of the new START nuclear arms reduction treaty by both houses of the Russian parliament. The treaty was passed unanimously by the Federation Council today, 26 January, following approval by the Russian State Duma yesterday.