CND's Press Round-Up - 5th May 2021
Posted: 5th May 2021
Dear all,
Ther’s still time to register for this evening press workshop for local groups, the details of which can be found here. I look forward to seeing many of you tonight.
Please find today’s press round up below. Thank you to all for their continued help and support.
Nuclear Weapons
China has called at the UN for renewed U.S. diplomacy with North Korea, with some commentators giving grounds for optimism.
North Korea
Chinese representatives to the United Nations have said that the U.S. should concentrate on renewed diplomatic efforts when working for North Korean denuclearisation, rather than ‘extreme pressure’. The U.S. political website The Hill reports that the Chinese UN ambassador evinced scepticism that any ‘lasting, sustaining solution’ could be reached without negotiations. China is arguing at the UN Security Council that the lifting of some sanctions on North Korea is the best way forward.
Reuters features a piece on North Korean-U.S. relations which offered very qualified optimism that Pyongyang might be open to approaches from the U.S.The Biden administration said on Friday that it had completed a policy review on North Korea but only very limited initial details have been made public so far. Analysts noted that no statement on the policy review had yet been made in North Korean domestic media, leading one to suggest that ‘Pyongyang is keeping its policy options open’.
Anti-war
Leaked remarks from an Australian general point to aggressive militarism within the Australian foreign policy establishment whilst regional enemies Syria and Saudi Arabia move towards rapprochement
Indo-Pacific Tensions
In a private event before military personnel, an Australian general reportedly said that the country should be preparing for the possibility of war with China, according to the South China Morning Post. The leaked comments come in the context of rising tensions between the two countries, with the Australian Defence Minister saying last month that military conflict with China over Taiwan ‘should not be discounted’. Australia has accused China of carrying out large-scale cyber-attacks on Australian state institutions. The two countries are currently embroiled in a trade conflict.
Syria-Saudi Arabia Relations
The heads of the Syrian and Saudi Arabian intelligence agencies have held a meeting in Damascus, according to the Guardian. This might represent a warming of relations between the two long-time foes, with Saudi Arabia having assisted different parts of the Syrian opposition since the conflict began there in 2011. Normalisation of relations with Saudi Arabia would be seen as a considerable diplomatic victory for the Assad regime. Last month, back channel talks between Saudi and Iranian officials were held in Iraq.
Nuclear Power
Uncertainy over the future of the Wylfa nuclear site persists whilst a French group warns local nuclear safety plans are inadequate.
Nuclear Power-UK
The Government has said that it wants to see ‘one more large nuclear plant’ as it continues talks with industry over the Wylfa Newydd site. Hitachi withdrew from the project last year. Energy Minister Anne-Marie Trevelyan said that ‘We have regular discussions with a number of potential developers and investors’, but no concrete plans appear to be in place yet.
Nuclear Power-France
The French nuclear monitoring group ANCCLI has said that local people near nuclear plants are not aware enough of what to do in the event of an accident, according to French press. The group described current public information measures as ‘unsuitable and insufficient’ and urged the government to perform more practice exercises. France has 19 nuclear power plants, as well as research and reprocessing facilities.
With best wishes,
Michael Muir
Press and Communications Officer
Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament