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A new briefing paper "NATO’s Strategic Concept, the NPT, and Global Zero" presents the views of the January 26, 2010 EXPERT CONFERENCE Practical Steps to Zero Nuclear Weapons, which included experts from the Obama administration, the Canadian government, and distinguished NGO experts from both Canada and the United States. Conference organizers were Bev Delong, Erika Simpson and Ernie Regehr. Ernie Regehr is the principal author of a briefing paper which was sent to the government of Canada. The end of the paper lists the sponsoring NGOs for the January event.

Recommendations for Canadian policy are introduced by the following statement:

Canada’s should pursue active engagement in the NATO Strategic Concept review in support of changes to the Alliance’s declarations and policies that promote strict adherence to NPT obligations and commitments, and that advance the goal of a world without nuclear weapons. .

[see the paper]  [See the program doc] [see item sent to NATO from Canadian NGOs]

A second version of the new briefing paper went to NATO, presented as a paper from Canadian NGOs.  In the paper, the recommendations are reworded and directed at NATO and NATO member states The EXPERT CONFERENCE was preceded by a PUBLIC FORUM, on the evening of January 25, 2010. The keynote speaker was Alyn Ware, Global Coordinator, Parliamentarians for Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament.

Phyllis Creighton addressed the Annual General Meeting, held in Toronto on 27 Oct. 2009, of the Ontario/Quebec branch of Veterans Against Nuclear Arms. It draws on material developed by members of Canadian Pugwash  for earlier conferences, particularly the August 2009 Copenhagen conference jointly sponsored by CPG and Danish Pugwash. Published in the January 2010 Science for Peace Bulletin."

Read [doc]