The International Atomic Energy Organization (IAEO)
Workshop Report by Peter Weish
Peter Weish, Austria. Physicist, representative of Anti-Atom International.
(This speech was held originally in German)
I'd like to introduce myself as the representative
of Anti-Atom International; I come from
Vienna and would like to report on our workshop
concerning our demands related to the transformation
of the IAEO. We know that it is difficult to
bring about international changes, but it begins
with ideas; it must begin in a small way.
In 1957, IAEO was founded at a time
ruled by a powerful euphoria, and people believed
that after the shock of Hiroshima and Nagasaki,
the atomic industry could be put to peaceful use
and serve toward the betterment of humankind. But
of course, even then it was pure hypocrisy
because the prominent radiation and genetic scientist
Mahler was not permitted to speak at the conference
in Geneva because it would have disturbed
the business transactions had he spoken about the
dangers. But at any rate, it is unbearable that this
large United Nations Organization to this day
includes promotion of the atomic industry in its
charter, and that in the past it has even propagated
the massive use of nuclear weapons for so-called
peaceful purposes.
Since we know, and have known for a
very long time now, that the civilian and military
atomic industries cannot be separated from each
other -- Hannes Euphen, a Swedish Nobel Prize
winner has described them as Siamese twins -- it is
naturally absurd to try to promote one of the twins
while trying to hold the other under control. And
it actually happened that the IAEO, giving strong
promotion, could not fulfill its control function. And
in the meantime, the number of countries with nuclear
capabilities has risen from five to 25, among them,
20 so-called threshold countries, since there is no
way to separate civilian and military use. That is
why we demand that support for the atomic industry
be struck from the statutes of the IAEO and therewith
depriving it of the opportunity to become a massive
lobbying organization for the atomic
industry; which is particularly disturbing for the
countries of the former Eastern Block where the
IAEO powerfully supports the local atomic lobbies
in their efforts to expand the use of atomic energy.
Therefore, the IAEO should concern itself
exclusively with getting out of and controlling the
atomic industry, which was supported by the
previous work groups. This should be its only task
for the future.
An important proposal came from the
workshop suggesting that we demand that state
support also be given to NGOs in order to
effectively support this control from the grass
roots. This is especially important concerning all
questions on what should happen to fissile materials
and many other further relevant questions. We
demand that the governments help environmental
organizations, support them, so that they can at
the very roots, in truly democratic fashion have an
influence on the activities of this organization.
Furthermore, environmental organizations
should receive observer status at conferences and
become equal participants, and also the results of
the work of the NGOs should be made available to
the public and not just to the governments which
either misuse or make secret this information in the
interests of its atomic industries.
In the past, the IAEO -- and we have heard
examples here -- has always only represented the
interests of industry, the interests of government,
the interests of the total atomic industry; and this
cannot continue. And for this purpose, we want to
build up a network which, as a part of this
improvement, will carry these demands, which are
essentially plausible, to the world; these demands
should be represented by the many environmental
NGOs and taken to governments, for the time is
right for such a change.
Even more, instead of such an atomic
industry lobbying organization in the United
Nations, it is high time to found an international
solar energy agency that would support the
possibilities, the technological possibilities of the
use of solar energy, and carry them out into the
world, especially to the so-called developing
countries in order to give them the opportunity to
generate the necessary energy in an environmentally
sound way.
Next week, we want to hold a press
conference in Vienna on this subject parallel to and
during the general conference of the IAEO, and
there will also be rallies, and whoever wants to
take part will be sincerely welcome.
Thank you very much.