11 July 2005: for immediate release

Press Conference
10.30 am Wednesday 13th July 2005
Room C, 1 Parliament Street, Whitehall. Nearest tube Westminster

Lobby of Parliament to call for an end to Israel’s WMD

Lobby of Parliament – 2-7pm on the 13th July 2005,
Meeting - Committee Room 9 from 4-6 pm on the 13th July 2005

A national lobby of Parliament has been called for the 13th July 2005 from 2-7pm. The central message of the lobby is that Israel’s weapons of mass destruction have been tolerated for far too long. The hypocrisy governing attitudes to Israel’s possession of WMD must end, and real steps must be taken to ensure Israel complies with international treaties and UN resolutions. A Press Conference will take place at 10:30am, Room C, 1 Parliament Street with Kate Hudson, Chair of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, Betty Hunter, General Secretary of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign and Jeremy Corbyn MP.

The following people will be speaking at a meeting in Parliament on the afternoon of the lobby and will be available for interview and comment:

Bruce Kent, Frank Barnaby, Mandy Turner, Mahmoud Hawari, Jeremy Corbyn MP, Glen Rangwala, Professor Steven Rose, Kate Hudson, Chair of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, and Betty Hunter, General Secretary of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign.

end

Notes to Editor:

1. For further information and interviews with people taking part in the lobby and speakers please contact Ruth Tanner CND's Press & Communications Officer on 0207 7002350 or 07968 420859

2. For further information on the lobby and its demands - http://www.cnduk.org/pages/campaign/isrl.html

3. This lobby demands that: -
The UN inspects facilities in Israel for Weapons of Mass Destruction [WMD] and puts in place verification and monitoring.
- The British government and the EU work for Israeli compliance with, and ratification of, the NPT, CWC, BTWC and FMCT treaties.
- A WMD- free zone in the Middle East, including Israel, is UK Policy.
- Israel’s Star Wars is not supported by the UK government and the EU.
- An embargo is imposed on the sale of all UK and EU relevant military equipment to, and from, Israel, breaking off all military contacts.
- The United Kingdom asks the EU to insist that Israel complies with its obligations under international law.
- Full Freedom for Mordechai Vanunu

4. Meeting in Parliament in Committee room 9 on July 13th 4-6 pm. Speakers include: Bruce Kent, Frank Barnaby,Mandy Turner, Mahmoud Hawari, Jeremy Corbyn M.P and Glen Rangwala, Chairs: Betty Hunter and Kate Hudson

5. The lobby is jointly organised by the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament www.cnduk.org and the Palestine Solidarity Campaign www.palestinecampaign.org And is supported by the following organisations: Al-Awda, Bertrand Russell Peace Foundation, Campaign Against Arms Trade, Campaign to Free Vanunu and for a Nuclear Free Middle East, Friends of Sabeel, Labour Action for Peace, Pax Christi, Stop the War Coalition, World Court Project.

6. The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) is one of Europe’s biggest single-issue peace campaigns, with over 32,000 members in the UK. CND campaigns for the abolition of all nuclear weapons everywhere. www.cnduk.org