Norwegian youth politicians in place in Hiroshima
This week, Norwegian youth politicians participate in the nuclear bomb remembrances in Japan. This autumn, the Norwegian Parliament will assess whether Norway is to join UN’s ban on nuclear weapons.
– It made an incredibly strong impression to participate in the remembrance. One thing is the destructions as such, but it was also touching to hear how the survivors have been discriminated against afterwards, says Reid Ivar Dahl. Dahl is the Deputy Leader of Rogaland KrF and member of the KrFU resource group.
He is in Japan this week and attended Monday morning, local time, the official memorial markings in Hiroshima. This is on the day 73 years after the atom bomb was dropped on the city in 1945.
Together with Ronja Breisnes from AUF and Tiril Barland from the Young Liberals, he will also attend the markings in Nagasaki on Thursday during the tour, which is held by Say No to Nuclear Weapons.
Norway said no to ban
Last summer, the UN adopted a nuclear weapons ban. So far, 60 countries have signed the treaty, but Norway, along with the other NATO countries and the nuclear powers, has not yet given it their support.
When the International Campaign Against Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) received the Nobel peace prize last autumn, then Minister of Foreign Affairs, Børge Brende (Conservatives) told TV 2 that he did not support the peace prize winner’s work for a total ban.
– In the case that Norway, as a NATO member, voted for a ban, it would mean that Norway had to state that NATO had to abolish its nuclear strategy – while observing that other countries still were wielding nuclear weapons. As long as other countries have nuclear weapons, NATO must have them too, Brende then stated.
This led to a new debate on Norway’s attitude towards nuclear weapons, and in February, the Parliament decided that a nuclear weapons ban should be evaluated. In the autumn, the Norwegian Parliament will decide whether Norway will join the ban or not.
Has not done enough
The Christian Democrats (KrF) was among the political parties who voted for an evaluation of a nuclear weapon ban.
Reid Ivar Dahl says that he and the rest of the KrFU will play an active role in the mother party to ensure that they will work for Norway’s signature on the ban.
– Both I and the rest of KrFU will work to get KrF in the Parliament to support the UN treaty, says Dahl.
– Has Norway taken an active enough role in the fight against nuclear weapons?
– I think there is a will to work against nuclear weapons, but as of today, we have not done enough. It is difficult to say that someone has done enough before there is a ban on nuclear weapons in line with the existing bans on biological and chemical weapons.
© NTB scanpix / #Norway Today
