© KEYSTONE/WALTER BIERI
The nuclear threat, which is increasing with the Ukrainian crisis, will push Switzerland to sign the treaty banning nuclear weapons, according to the head of the Campaign to Abolish this Weapon (ICAN). But nothing will change until next August at least.
“It will happen, even if it might take time,” Beatrice Fihn told UN correspondents in Geneva (ACANU) on Thursday. But we will still have to wait several months because the President of the Confederation Ignazio Cassis first wants to see how the follow-up conference of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NPT) next summer in Vienna.
Dozens of states are parties to the ban treaty, which entered into force in January 2021. The agreement prohibits the use, development, production, testing, parking, storage and threat of use of nuclear weapons. But also to assist anyone for these activities.
Despite a motion approved in 2019 for Switzerland to join, the Federal Council has delayed several times. In particular, he fears consequences in terms of foreign and security policy.
Call by Tikhanovskaya
According to the executive director of the organization Nobel Peace Prize in 2017, “we see a massive increase in interest in nuclear weapons and concern”. “It is an awareness for many political leaders” and the Vienna conference should allow long-term action, she said.
As has been done regularly for weeks, Ms. Fihn repeats “we are very close” to the use of a nuclear weapon. Even tactical weaponry would kill nearly 150,000 people. “It would be a humanitarian disaster that might provoke reprisals and tip over into total nuclear war”, according to the executive director of ICAN.
The impact for the climate and for food production would be massive. “Everyone would be affected” in the world, according to Ms Fihn. However, it remains difficult to precisely assess the threat, but it has clearly increased, adds the boss of ICAN. Especially if the Russian president has to put pressure on Ukraine in the event of a stalemate.
For her part, the Belarusian opponent Svetlana Tikhanovkaïa welcomed the collaboration with ICAN to try to find out what her fellow citizens really think of the nuclear question following the referendum which allowed Belarus to abandon its status of nuclear neutrality. “We must actively prevent” the deployment of Russian weapons on the territory of this neighbor, she insisted the day following her meeting in Bern with the President of the National Council Irène Kälin (Greens / AG).
Russia isolated in Geneva
According to her, many Belarusians are worried regarding the nuclear consequences. Controversial President Alexander Lukashenko might try to use Russian nuclear weapons as a tool with Westerners to reduce sanctions. “It’s a usual tactic” to “threaten” and “to blackmail”, also says Ms. Tikhanovskaïa. Westerners “must be firm” and not enter into discussions, according to her.
Also Thursday, many countries, including Switzerland, attacked Russia for trying to cut off statements on Ukraine at the Conference on Disarmament (CD) in Geneva. While Moscow then launched an indictment of tens of minutes once morest the West and NATO, many delegations once more denounced President Vladimir Putin’s threats to use nuclear weapons.