TRILATERAL INITIATIVE
to stop Missile Defence for the health of the people of Australia, Denmark/Greenland and UK.

Offentliggøres søndag 6. oktober 2002 ved et protestmøde ved Pine Gap, Australien, hvor USA’s militær har en radarstation af samme type som Thule-radaren i Nordgrønland.
_____________________________________________

October 2002
HEALTH AND SECURITY ALERT
Medical professionals and health workers in three countries – the Medical Association for Prevention of War (MAPW) in Australia; the Danish Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (DLMK) in Denmark/Greenland; and Medact in the United Kingdom – all affiliates of the International Physicians for Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW), have launched this joint health and security alert to “Oppose missile defence facilities which threaten our homelands”.
 Medical professionals in each of our nations are gravely concerned that the Missile Defence system being developed by the United States administration threatens the health and safety of our citizens by creating the illusion of security while actually increasing nuclear dangers.
 The Bush administration has called for a massive, multi-layered missile defence system that would increase the dangers of nuclear war, fuel proliferation of nuclear weapons in the world, and squander hundreds of billions of dollars – all for a system that cannot deliver the protection it promises.
 Missile defences will provoke other nuclear weapons states to counter what they see as a threat to their own security by building more nuclear weapons rather than by honoring their treaty commitments.
 The nations of the world – especially the impoverished countries of the global South – are struggling to find the resources to provide health care, education, environmental protection, and a decent quality of life for their citizens. For the US administration to propose spending hundreds of billions of dollars on an ineffective system while at the same time underfunding global health care programs – and asking us to participate in this diversion of funds from health to the military – is morally reprehensible.
 Missile defences are an early phase of the militarisation of space and, as such, are part of an unprecedented global offensive system masquerading as defence. We believe that participation in the development and production of systems related to nuclear war fighting capabilities, or that deploy weapons into space is a morally repugnant violation of international law.
 The US bases at Menwith Hill, Fylingdales, Thule, and Pine Gap are integral to the United States nuclear-war fighting system and, therefore, inevitably involve our nations in preparing for and potentially participating in nuclear strikes, whether pre-emptive or retaliatory.
 The US bases at Menwith Hill, Fylingdales, Thule, and Pine Gap are also integral to the proposed US “missile defence” scheme which undermines international security and stability.
 As these bases are prime nuclear targets in the UK, Greenland, and Australia, we believe that the dismantling of these facilities is a vital preliminary step to guarantee the health and security of all the people of our nations.
We call on our colleagues in the medical and public health professions in Australia, Denmark/Greenland, and the UK to join us in this Trilateral Initiative for the health of the people of our nations and to help us bring an end to the complicity of our governments in supporting the US Missile Defence scheme.
We call on our governments to hold parliamentary inquiries into the use of joint defence facilities hosted by our nations exploring how these facilities will be utilised in the US Missile Defence.
Given the small but significant danger that a nuclear, chemical, or biological warhead falling to the ground following boost phase interception could result in massive casualties and environmental damage in countries directly under the flight path of a targeted missile, we urge a full investigation into the impact of fallout from such an occurrence.
Finally, we request that the United States Government relinquish the use of the military facilities that are a part of the proposed Missile Defence infrastructure in our countries.

Signed:
Dr Liz Waterston, Chair, Nuclear Disarmament Group, Medact, UK
Dr Povl Revsbech, Chair, DLMK, Denmark/Greenland
Dr Sue Wareham, President of Medical Association for Prevention of War, Australia