Subscribe free to our newsletters via your
. Military Space News .




NUKEWARS
Norway: Nuclear blast effects dire
by Staff Writers
Oslo, Norway (UPI) Mar 7, 2013


disclaimer: image is for illustration purposes only

The humanitarian disaster from a nuclear weapon blast would overcome the ability of any state or international group to cope with, Norway's top diplomat says.

Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs Espen Barth Eide, who led an international conference on the humanitarian impact on nuclear weapons in Oslo this week, made that assessment as part of his official report on conclusions reached at the event.

Delegations representing 127 countries, the United Nations, the International Committee of the Red Cross, the Red Cross and Red Crescent movement and civil society participated in the conference, which assessed the global humanitarian consequences of nuclear detonations.

"It is the chair's view that this broad participation reflects the increasing global concern regarding the effects of nuclear weapons detonations, as well as the recognition that this is an issue of fundamental significance to us all," Eide said in a statement.

Humanitarian groups at the conference said they it would provide a starting point to reopen discussions about banning nuclear weapons worldwide.

Not present, however, were the five nuclear-armed members of the U.N. Security Council -- the United States, Britain, France, China and Russia -- which stayed away from the event.

Eide said the one of the key points agreed on by the participants was that the scale of the devastation from a nuclear blast would be so profound it would swamp the abilities of states or international humanitarian groups to provide effective aid.

"It is unlikely that any state or international body could address the immediate humanitarian emergency caused by a nuclear weapon detonation in an adequate manner and provide sufficient assistance to those affected," he said. "Moreover, it might not be possible to establish such capacities, even if it were attempted."

The Norwegian diplomat also said attendees agreed on two other main conclusions.

First, despite the end of Cold War and a changed political landscape in which countries are no longer directly threatening each other with nuclear destruction, the "destructive potential of nuclear weapons remains."

Also, that the effects of a nuclear weapon detonation, "irrespective of cause, will not be constrained by national borders, and will affect states and people in significant ways, regionally as well as globally."

Eide told Norway's NTB news agency he was pleased with the outcome of the event, despite the absence of the Security Council members.

"We have managed without them because it is not only countries with nuclear weapons that can discuss this," he said, noting that Mexico has agreed to host a follow-up conference.

"This conference has shown that any use of nuclear armaments would cause mass suffering, with calculations of climate disruption and famine in non-nuclear as well as nuclear-armed countries," Rebecca Johnson, co-chairwoman of International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, said in a statement.

"This global impact makes it the responsibility -- and right -- of everyone to take action to stop this from happening."

Meanwhile, a member of Scotland's Parliament blasted Britain's decision to not attend.

Bill Kidd of the Scottish National Party asserted it was "utterly disgraceful" for Britain to boycott the gathering, adding that "as a nuclear weapons state, they're embarrassed to face up to the rest of the world."

The SNP, which is seeking independence from Britain, has promised to remove nuclear-armed Trident submarines from Scotland.

.


Related Links
Learn about nuclear weapons doctrine and defense at SpaceWar.com
Learn about missile defense at SpaceWar.com
All about missiles at SpaceWar.com
Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com






Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle








NUKEWARS
IAEA chief Amano sails into second term
Vienna (AFP) March 06, 2013
The UN atomic agency's board of governors on Wednesday approved giving Japanese director general Yukiya Amano a new four-year term without even resorting to a vote. In 2009, the International Atomic Energy Agency's 35-member board had needed six rounds of voting to select Amano for his first term, with developing countries worried he would be too pro-Western. This time however the 65-yea ... read more


NUKEWARS
Lockheed Martin Wins Aegis Combat System Engineering Agent Contract

US radar to boost missile defence in Japan

Israel tests Arrow but funding cuts loom

Israel tests new Arrow missile interceptor

NUKEWARS
Raytheon delivers first Standard Missile-6 from new Alabama missile integration facility

Lockheed Martin Receives Long Range Anti-Ship Missile Contract From DARPA

Syria missile strikes in Aleppo leave 58 dead: NGO

India wants to sell Russia BraMos missiles

NUKEWARS
Northrop Grumman Demonstrates Joint STARS, Global Hawk Interoperability

Europe presses ahead on UAS development

Better workstations for drone operators may reduce mishaps

Boeing Phantom Eye Completes Second Flight

NUKEWARS
Space race under way to create quantum satellite

Boeing Receives USAF Contract for Integrated C4ISR Targeting Solution

Air Operations Center Modernization Program PDR Completed

Advanced Communications Waveforms Ported To Navy Digital Modular Radios

NUKEWARS
Raytheon's new precision artillery ready for low-rate initial production

New clip-on Thermal Weapon Sight offers more accurate targeting

Caribbean security firms see niche market

Bolstering the Front Line of Biological Warfare Response

NUKEWARS
Russia arms firms bag Iraq, chase Libya

Australian defense cuts to hit deployments

US Defense Secretary Hagel scolds budget cuts

British military capability at risk from more cuts: minister

NUKEWARS
Russia will continue building up its defenses

China enlists Jackie Chan to kick off political meeting

Chinese fishermen on front line of marine dispute

Triumph and regret as China's Wen bows out

NUKEWARS
New technique could improve optical devices

Silver nanoparticles may adversely affect environment

Scientists delve deeper into carbon nanotubes

New taxonomy of platinum nanoclusters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2014 - Space Media Network. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement