11 October 2006: for immediate release
CND’s annual conference convenes at a time when nuclear issues are at the forefront of national and international concern. It is also a time when CND – totally united around its goals and in support of its leadership – has an increasingly high profile, an influx of new members and an expansion in its staffing and expenditure. CND currently articulates the sentiments of the majority of the British population – 59% of which oppose a Trident Replacement when they realise the extent of its cost.
The Conference, which takes place on 14-15 October at the University of Bradford, will debate the way forward in campaigning to prevent a Trident Replacement – a step which CND considers to be in breach of our international treaty obligations, out of step with the majority of British public opinion, and which will increase nuclear proliferation rather than preventing it. Delegates will consider the latest figures which suggest that the total lifetime cost of a new system could be in the region of £76 billion. Conference will also debate an emergency resolution on the North Korean nuclear test, which has intensified international concerns about nuclear proliferation. CND has condemned the test and urges all states with nuclear weapons to begin steps towards nuclear disarmament. CND also calls for ratification of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty.
Speakers at the conference include Professor Paul Rodgers of the University of Bradford’s Department of Peace Studies, and Arielle Denis, head of France’s Le Mouvement de la Paix. CND members in attendance at the conference include CND Chair Kate Hudson, Walter Wolfgang, Caroline Lucas MEP, Jeremy Corbyn MP, Bruce Kent, and Alice Mahon.
In recognition of Bradford’s longstanding commitment to peace, a reception on Saturday evening is being hosted by the Lord Mayor of Bradford, Councillor Choudhary Rangzeb. Councillor Rangzeb is a signatory to the Mayor of Hiroshima’s ‘Mayors for Peace’ campaign, working for the global abolition of nuclear weapons.
The conference will also debate, amongst other issues, US developments in space weaponry, a nuclear weapons-free Middle East, opposing an attack on Iran, opposing new nuclear power stations in the UK, cooperation with trade unions, and working with ethnic minority organisations.
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Notes to Editor:
1. For further information and interviews please contact Rick Wayman, CND’s Press & Communications Officer, on 0207 7002350 or 07968 420859
2. The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) is one of Europe’s biggest single-issue peace campaigns, with over 32,000 members in the UK. CND campaigns for the abolition of all nuclear weapons everywhere.