Melissa Parke, executive director of ICAN (the campaign that received the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize), has visited our country to urge the Spanish government to sign the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. During her interview with Pressenza, she recalled Pedro Sánchez’s speech last February at the Munich Security Conference,
“It was moving to see President Sánchez deliver an incredible speech, surrounded by all those nuclear hawks … he opposed nuclear weapons and nuclear rearmament, stating that it would be a historic mistake. And he opposed the logic of nuclear deterrence, stating that a system requiring constant adjustments and zero errors to avoid destruction is not a guarantee—it’s a gamble… And he’s absolutely right, but what we need to see now is action on this front. We need Spain to adhere to the TPNW.”
Ahead of the November 29 elections, he commented:
“It’s very important that voters know, before casting their ballots, what their party’s stance is on ensuring their safety in the face of a nuclear war”
Video: Álvaro Orús.
Transcript below:
It seems that Spain isn’t going to sign the treaty for now, but the issue is on the table. It has been debated in Parliament. It has been discussed by the government. Is there any country in Europe right now that is on the verge of signing the TPNW? Anything that could encourage the rest of Europe to follow suit?
Well, there are already countries in Europe that have acceded to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. These include Austria, Malta, and Ireland, among others. So, Spain wouldn’t be the first European country to accede if it decided to do so. It would be the first NATO country to do so, and we believe it should. Spain has already made its stance on nuclear weapons very clear by rejecting them.
The media is talking right now about war, the climate crisis, and AI. They aren’t talking about nuclear weapons, which is such an important and risky issue. Why do you think that is?
Well, I think many people believe that the threat of nuclear weapons disappeared with the end of the Cold War, but, of course, that wasn’t the case. And now the threat is much greater, given the current tensions and conflicts taking place around the world, and considering the growing integration of artificial intelligence into nuclear weapons systems. And we’re seeing a great many incidents of risky situations and near-misses related to artificial intelligence and what it can do in the realm of nuclear weapons—such as creating hallucinations, cyberattacks, and false alarms that could trigger a nuclear war if we’re not very careful.
Right now, at this very moment, there are demonstrations and protests all over Europe for various reasons. In Germany, for example, people are demonstrating against war and against mandatory military service. Do you think today’s population is more open to discussing war and nuclear weapons?
I believe that once young people learn about nuclear weapons and the harm they can cause to people and the environment, they become very concerned about them, and we have a great many young people as part of our global civil society movement against nuclear weapons. Young people are realizing that the current program of nuclear weapons expansion and modernization is, in reality, an injustice—an intergenerational injustice. It’s taking away their resources for things they’re passionate about, such as protecting the environment, social justice, and the fight against inequality and housing issues. So I believe young people are very receptive once we manage to talk to them about this, but we have to open their eyes. And you know that, once people understand it—as 80% of Spaniards have indicated—ordinary people realize that nuclear weapons are dangerous, they’re dangerous for everyone, and that you don’t achieve security by threatening to annihilate millions of innocent women, men, and children; in fact, it’s exactly the opposite.
Could you summarize for our viewers how the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) is currently progressing?
Well, the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons is the first international treaty to completely ban everything related to nuclear weapons and to establish, within the framework of international law, a path for nuclear-weapon states to disarm within a specified timeframe and in a verifiable manner. And, for the first time, the treaty provides assistance to communities and environments that have suffered damage from the use or testing of nuclear weapons over the years. It is, therefore, a groundbreaking treaty to which more than half of the world’s countries have acceded.
A global majority asserts that it is unacceptable for a few countries—nine nuclear-weapon states—to hold the rest of the world hostage to these weapons of total destruction.
How is this trip going? What is your impression of Spain?
We’ve been in Asturias, where we’ve held several events to talk with the public and the peace movement about the treaty, and people have been very receptive. We’ve also been in Manzanares, in the mountains near Madrid, where we just attended an event at which the city council joined the Cities’ Appeal in support of Spain’s accession to the TPNW, and that’s where we see that ordinary people want to be safe from nuclear weapons and nuclear war, and that the only way to be safe is to eliminate them.
Would you like to add anything else?
Well, today we also visited the Congress and met with some members of Congress and the president of the Socialist Party, and they welcomed us very warmly; we hope that Spain’s various political parties will set out their positions in writing in their campaign platforms before the general election on November 29. It’s very important that voters know, before they vote, what their party’s stance is on ensuring their safety in the face of a nuclear war.
I was really moved to be at the Munich Security Conference earlier this year and see President Sánchez deliver an incredible speech, surrounded by all those nuclear hawks. President Sánchez took the floor and spoke out against nuclear weapons and nuclear rearmament, stating that it would be a historic mistake. And he opposed the logic of nuclear deterrence, stating that a system requiring constant adjustments and zero errors to prevent total destruction is not a guarantee—it’s a gamble. He also quoted President John F. Kennedy, who said that we must abolish the weapons of war before they abolish us. And he’s absolutely right, but what we need to see now is action on this issue. We need Spain to join the TPNW.
We thank Carlos Umaña for the translation.
