USE OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS AND IRAQ

Early day motion 646, tabled 3 February 2003 by Llew Smith (Labour). Signed by 35 members.

That this House believes the threat made in his interview with David Frost on 2nd February by the Defence Secretary to use nuclear weapons against Iraq is morally repugnant and diplomatically suicidal; recognises that the use of nuclear weapons would have the capacity to kill and maim tens of thousands of people, as well as to contaminate radioactively huge areas of land and water, and to render ecologically dead parts of the ecosphere; insists that the United Kingdom's status as guardian of the 1968 nuclear nonproliferation treaty which this country co-authored with other nuclear armed states, and for which it is one of three depositary states, means the United Kingdom has a special responsibility to uphold the Treaty; recalls that at the latest review conference of the NPT at the United Nations in New York, the United Kingdom reaffirmed that it would not use nuclear weapons against non-nuclear weapon states parties to the NPT, except in the case of an invasion or any other attack on them, their territories, their armed forces or other troops, their allies, or on a state to which they have security commitment, carried out or sustained by such a non-nuclear-weapon state in 'association or alliance' with a nuclear-weapon state; notes that these circumstances do not prevail with Iraq; and calls upon the Prime Minister to withdraw this unacceptable and incredible threat to humanity by the threatened use of weapons of mass destruction.

Signatures by party: Labour 31, Plaid Cymru 2, Labour/Co-operative 1, Liberal Democrat 1.