MPI Report
Mexico City
December 5, 2002
On December 5, 2002, a Middle Powers Initiative (MPI) delegation, consisting of Senator Douglas Roche, Chairman of MPI, Jonathan Granoff, President of the Global Security Institute, and Ambassador Miguel Marin-Bosch, former Deputy Foreign Minister of Mexico, met with Vincente Fox, President of Mexico, at the Presidential Palace in Mexico City. The MPI delegation praised Mexico for its history of global leadership in the area of nuclear nonproliferation and disarmament and its active role in the New Agenda Coalition (consisting of Egypt, Mexico, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, Brazil and Sweden). The delegation further emphasized that the efforts of Mexico and the other New Agenda countries in setting forth practical and comprehensive steps to move the nuclear weapons states to fulfill their existing "unequivocal undertaking" toward the total elimination of nuclear weapons is of unparalleled value and significance.
Senator Roche underscored that Canada was the only NATO country to support the 2002 omnibus resolution of the New Agenda in the U.N. General Assembly, and that he and Mr. Granoff had recently been able to meet with Prime Minister Chretien to congratulate his leadership in this regard. President Fox expressed deep satisfaction about Canada's support of the New Agenda resolution.
Additionally, Senator Roche and Mr. Granoff, who had recently participated (as the International Peace Bureau's delegation) in the Third Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates in Rome, Italy, in their official function as messengers hand-delivered the Summit's Final Statement to President Fox (see attached). It says in relevant part:
A primary goal is to halt the new arms race, and to demilitarise international relations. The participants are concerned about the new military doctrines that contemplate the use, even pre-emptive, of nuclear weapons. Nuclear weapons continue to pose a real threat due to a renewed tendency toward proliferation, made more dangerous by the possibility that terrorists may acquire them. Nuclear weapons are immoral and their use is illegal. It is imperative to achieve the total abolition of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction.
President Fox reiterated his commitment to Mexico's long standing leadership to move the world toward the elimination of nuclear weapons, expressed his shared concern regarding the dangers of policies that contemplate their use, and pledged to seriously consider the matters that the MPI delegation had brought to his attention.
The Global Security Institute is proud to announce that Ambassador Miguel Marin-Bosch has recently joined the Steering Committee of the Middle Powers Initiative.
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