The Secretary-General has announced that he will visit Hiroshima on August 6, 2010, the anniversary of the day the first atomic bomb was dropped, stating: "There I will say, once again, we stand for a world free of nuclear weapons;" and
WHEREAS, on May 28, 2010, at the conclusion of the month-long NPT Review Conference, a 22-point action plan for nuclear disarmament was adopted by consensus of the states parties. By agreeing to this plan the U.S. government inter alia: reaffirms the unequivocal undertaking of the nuclear weapon states to accomplish the total elimination of their nuclear arsenals notes the United Nations Secretary-General's Five Point Proposal for Nuclear Disarmament, which proposes consideration of negotiations on a nuclear weapons convention expresses deep concern at the catastrophic humanitarian consequences of any nuclear weapons use and reaffirms the need for all states at all times to comply with international humanitarian law seeks early entry-into-force of the new START treaty and the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty commits to working for further reductions in all types of nuclear weapons and a diminished role for nuclear weapons in its national security policy commits to a principle of "irreversibility" with regard to its nuclear disarmament obligation,
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that The U.S. Conference of Mayors calls on President Obama to work with the leaders of the other nuclear weapon states to implement the U.N. Secretary-General's Five Point Proposal for Nuclear Disarmament forthwith, so that a Nuclear Weapons Convention, or a related set of mutually reinforcing legal instruments , can be agreed upon and implemented by the year 2020, as urged by Mayors for Peace; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that The U.S. Conference of Mayors calls on the U.S. Congress to terminate funding for modernization of the nuclear weapons complex and nuclear weapons systems , to reduce spending on nuclear weapons programs well below Cold War levels, and to redirect funds to meet the urgent needs of cities; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that The U.S. Conference of Mayors encourages President Obama, members of the Cabinet and Congress to visit Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the earliest possible date; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that The U.S. Conference of Mayors agrees to take up this matter at the June 2011 Conference of Mayors.
http://olafest.org/free-screenings.html My First-but not my last experience of trying to hold a Mayor accountable to what they sign onto:
In 2006, on the second day of my third stay in the Little Town of Bethlehem- which is Occupied Territory- my group met four of the newly elected members of Hamas, and for the fourth time I met the Mayor of Bethlehem, Victor Batarseh.
Mayor Batarseh spoke once more about the dire need for tourists and pilgrims to
sleep and eat in Bethlehem for unemployment was well over 50% and the
Bethlehem Municipality had to borrow money to pay its own
employees.
The first time I met Mayor Batarseh was when he
traveled to Orlando to meet with Mayor Buddy Dyer, with the hope to
re-ignite The Twinning Agreement that was signed in May 2001 by the then
Mayors of Bethlehem and Orlando. The Twinning Agreement is a
sister-pact that affirmed Orlando and Bethlehem would encourage tourism
to the other and promote a global community.
I followed up on Mayor
Batarseh's visit with my own visit to Mayor Buddy Dyer's office one week
after the Mayors had met. I informed the Orlando Mayor's public
relations representative about an opportunity to help the city of
Bethlehem and was seeking the Mayors support in getting the word out
about two events that were already scheduled and my involvement with Palestinian Children's Welfare Fund.
Palestinian Children's Welfare Fund was an all volunteer effort that imported goods crafted by the artisans in Bethlehem and sold
throughout the world. We returned all proceeds back to the crafts
people-who were mostly all Christian- and also helped support the children
in the three Bethlehem refugee camps.
Mayor Buddy Dyer's office
did not even have the common courtesy to respond to any of my three
follow up emails after my meeting with his PR Rep.
I also had informed The Orlando Sentinel about
the opportunity for the Central Florida community to do something to
make true the words of the Twinning Agreement without having to travel all the
way to the Little Town of Bethlehem in occupied territory.
I was ignored by all.
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