Labour betrays us on nuclear disarmament

In her address to the Oxford Union the other day, Helen Clark also stressed New Zealand's opposition to nuclear weapons, saying:

We continue to be very active on nuclear disarmament issues, working with colleagues in the New Agenda grouping of nations. In 2000 that grouping persuaded the membership of the Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty to agree to thirteen practical steps on nuclear disarmament and non proliferation.

Since then nuclear disarmament has tended to take a back seat, as counter proliferation efforts have come to the fore. Yet while undoubtedly important, those efforts should not blind us to the risk nuclear weapons per se pose to global security.

Like her rhetoric on human rights, this is a statement that most New Zealanders would agree with. And like her rhetoric on human rights, Clark's government is failing to live up to it. Just two weeks ago, at the annual conferance of the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna, the New Zealand government betrayed our anti-nuclear principles by joining European governments in abstaining on a motion calling for a nuclear-weapons free zone in the Middle East. The government's excuse is that "poor consultation and lack of process" meant that New Zealand could not support the draft. But that's a little disingenuous. Looking at the actual motion [PDF], the clauses we objected to are ones that any state which opposes nuclear weapons should be proud to support:

4. Further calls upon all States of the region, pending the establishment of the zone, not to develop, produce, test or otherwise acquire nuclear weapons or permit the stationing on their territories or on territories under their control, of nuclear weapons or nuclear explosive devices, or to pursue actions that would undermine the goal of establishing the zone;

[...]

6. Urges the nuclear-weapon States and all other States to render assistance in the establishment of the zone and at the same time to refrain from any action that would hinder efforts aiming at its establishment.

So why did we abstain then? The answer is simple: the new clauses specifically targetted Israel, the only nuclear-armed country in the Middle East, and were strongly supported by Arab nations. So rather than offend Israel or its American backers, our government betrayed its nuclear-free principles - and its voters. It's nice to know who they think is important.