19 January 2007: for immediate release
The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament today condemned an alleged anti-satellite test by China, which is said to have destroyed an old satellite orbiting over 500 miles above the Earth. Similar tests were carried out by the US and Soviet Union in the 1980s at the height of the Cold War.
China has been a leading proponent of the Prevention of an Arms Race in Outer Space (PAROS) treaty in the UN. Negotiations on PAROS have been repeatedly blocked by the US, which says that there is no need for such a treaty because there is no arms race in space.
Kate Hudson, Chair of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, said, “This step by China indicates the urgent necessity of securing the PAROS Treaty. Weapons have no place in outer space; it is essential for the future of humanity that this frontier remain peaceful and free from dangerous weapons.”
CND has given its full support to a PAROS treaty. Ms Hudson said, “We urge all countries to immediately sign and ratify a treaty to prevent an arms race in outer space. All countries must give unconditional assurances that they will not put weapons in space.”
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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 35,000 members in the UK. CND campaigns for the abolition of all nuclear weapons everywhere.