FYLINGDALES STAR WARS REQUEST IMMINENT

Yorkshire CND urges government to refuse use of Yorkshire military base

News broke today that the US government is about to request use of RAF Fylingdales for their controversial son of Star Wars missile defence system.

The request, announced on Radio 4 this morning, has been expected by defence officials and campaigners for over a year and follows the visit to the base this month by General Kadish - head of the Missile Defence Agency. It comes almost a year to the day after George W. Bush announced his intention to withdraw from the ABM treaty (a treaty which forbade the development of missile defence systems on the scale that the US wants).


Geoff Hoon has made repeated statements in support of missile defence over the past month and the recent MOD publication "Missile Defence - a public discussion paper", released this week, is again supportive of the principle. The discussion paper was released to fuel the public and parliamentary debate that Geoff Hoon called for only a month ago. Yorkshire CND, who have been campaigning to avoid any use of the facility for the US's plans, today called on the government to ensure that they do not make any decision on the base's use until they have left considerable time for that public debate to take place, and not before parliament has a chance to discuss the matter in a full parliamentary debate (the request for use for the facilities is likely to come on Tuesday: the day parliament breaks up for Christmas).


Neil Kingsnorth, Development Worker for Yorkshire CND, said

"We've been expecting this news for some time. What a coincidence that it comes when parliament is in recess and everyone is away for Christmas. This whole process has been undemocratic and unaccountable so far and it looks like the US want to keep it that way. Geoff Hoon has called for a full public and parliamentary debate on these issues and we demand that he allows time for that before giving in once again to the USA's wishes. "


US use of Fylingdales for a missile defence system would not defend the UK, who would need further space monitoring systems in place towards Eastern Europe if they were to benefit. However, as scientists and UK MOD officials have been pointing out for years, the system is unlikely ever to work.


Neil Kingsnorth continued,

"What the US is after is the development of air-borne lasers, space-based lasers, advanced ground listening stations and more. Even if it doesn't work they've developed all of this military technology under the veil of star wars. The UK must not cow-tow the US dreams of global dominance on earth and in space, it must not play a part in provoking an arms race, which missile defence will almost certainly do, and it must not put Yorkshire at the heart of new and awesome warfighting technology. We urge Geoff Hoon to stop lusting after missile defence and to concentrate instead on genuine, long-term remedies to global instability."

ENDS

Notes

1) More information and comments from Neil Kingsnorth on 07818 411823 or Dave Webb on 0113 2836742. You can also visit www.yorkshirecnd.org.uk

2) Fylingdales is near Whitby, in North Yorkshire. It is one of two bases likely to ne used for US plans, the other being Menwith Hill near Harrogate.

3) George Bush announced the US's intention to kill off the ABM treaty on December 12th 2001 and withdrew on June 12th 2002.

Yorkshire Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
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