Bipartisan Support for Disarmament identified

A survey questionnaire distributed to the main political parties contesting this year’s General Election has revealed considerable bipartisan support for disarmament. The recently conducted surveyed was organised by the National Consultative Committee on Disarmament and polled National, Labour, the Greens, the Maori Party and United Future.

All parties supported further ratifications to the Convention banning cluster munitions and the funding of weapons clearance and victim rehabilitation programmes; moves sponsored by New Zealand in the UN General Assembly to have nuclear weapons removed from alert status; and negotiations for a treaty to control transfers of small arms and light weapons.

All parties supported a Convention designed to eventually abolish nuclear weapons, with the exception of National which said it fully supported a world without nuclear weapons.

All parties supported the application of the Geneva Conventions to nuclear weapons, for example through the outlawing of disproportionate use of military force and the indiscriminate killing of civilians in conflict.

ENDS

© Scoop Media