Aletho News

New Report on Uranium Weapons published by UN Secretary General

Ahead of the forthcoming vote in the UN General Assembly, the UN Secretary General has published a second report on uranium weapons. The report compiles responses from countries and UN agencies to a request in the 2008 General Assembly resolution.

19 October 2010 – International Coalition to Ban Uranium Weapons

In contrast to the previous report, more countries appear to accept that uranium weapons are a matter of concern, and several would support specific international restrictions on their use.

Belgium mentioned their domestic ban, and the more recent law banning financial investment in uranium weapons, and also signalled that it is willing to discuss legislation with other states at the international level. Panama’s report calls for the use of uranium to be restricted to civilian purposes and Lithuania stated its support for a moratorium on the use of uranium weapons.

Burundi recognised the efforts of ICBUW, called for states that voted against previous resolutions to submit evidence supporting their position, and stated that it would support a ban on uranium weapons. Ireland and Japan both welcomed the involvement of civil society in the issue. Norway’s report mentions their funding of research by ICBUW and their ongoing willingness to work with international partners to establish the extent of the health risks.

Some states only wished to express concern. New Zealand’s report mentions that peacekeepers in affected areas are given more stringent health monitoring and
Germany stated its hope that previous resolutions would help to establish clarity about the effects of DU on human health.

The Czech Republic did wish to express any particular view on the issue, and the report of the Netherlands mentioned a long-standing preoccupation – their concerns with the mention of ‘potential harmful effects’ in previous resolutions, rather than ‘possible harmful effects’. By contrast Mexico, while taking the view that the public health risk from uranium weapons is minimal, highlighted the concerns of affected populations, and called for the use of radioactive materials to be restricted to peaceful purposes.

Jordan submitted a detailed report on the physiological risks of depleted uranium, and there was support for ICBUW’s calls for transparency and technical assistance for affected countries. Cuba pointed out that the use of uranium in weapons is in violation of article XX of the IAEA statute, and called for transparency and technical assistance from user states. Mauritius spoke of the environmental and health effects of uranium weapons use, and the fact that few countries have the expertise and resources to carry out decontamination.

As regards reports from international agencies, the position of the IAEA is largely unchanged, though its report does point out that the work by international agencies in affected areas (several years afterwards in most cases) assessed the risks at the time of the work, rather than at the time uranium weapons were used. Similarly the WHO referred to their earlier positions, despite having attracted a lot of criticism for failing to include important information. Their report also stated that they were currently reviewing more recent data – a process which was also mentioned in their 2008 report, but still seems to be incomplete.

The report of UNEP is stronger, and mentions ongoing uncertainties about the environmental effects of DU in the environment, particularly in groundwater, and reiterates their support for a precautionary approach. A more detailed discussion of the positions of international agencies will be produced shortly by the ICBUW science team.

The wide margin of votes cast in favour of General Assembly resolution 63/54 clearly reaffirmed the broad and growing concern of the international community over the danger to human health and the environment from the use of armaments and ammunitions containing depleted uranium – Cuba

Jordan does not possess any arms or ammunition of which depleted uranium is a component and is of the view that the use of such weapons pose grave risks to human beings, all living things and the environment – Jordan

[Panama] believes that laws of war exist which prohibit the use of deadly and inhumane weapons away from the battlefield, or the use of weapons of war whose effects continue once a conflict has ended – Panama

Given that it is both radioactive and toxic, depleted uranium has long-term health effects not only on personnel in combat operations, but also on civilians, flora, fauna and the environment. Furthermore, the decontamination of soil is a costly exercise, and not all countries have the necessary expertise and resources to carry out such a process – Mauritius

October 20, 2010 - Posted by aletho | Militarism, War Crimes