What will happen on JUNE 12?
Just before a crucial NATO meeting, at which George W. Bush will be present and at which missile defence will be discussed, a ‘monster’ letter of protest against Star Wars signed by 600+ organisations and parliamentarians from around the world will be launched in Sydney by Friends of the Earth and other disarmament campaigners. Perth campaigners will deliver copies of this letter to the US Consul. The British-American Security Information Council will launch the letter in London with friendly MPs, CND and others. Physicians for Social Responsibility, Council for a Livable World and 200 other groups will descend on Washington D.C. for the same purpose.

The letter is addressed to Heads and Secretaries of State and Foreign and Defence Ministers of the USA, Canada, Europe, Japan and Australia. The full text is at www.sydney.foe.org.au

Pine Gap, Project Dundee and Star Wars
The Pine Gap spy base (‘Joint Defence Space Research Facility’) near Alice Springs is a vital part of the NMD plans. It has already been used since Oct. 1999 in the development of this system. To match the technology of a new generation of satellites, an expensive upgraded relay station will be built at Pine Gap to receive signals and relay the early warnings of missile launches to the US. The system is expected to be functional by 2004.

Australia has already been working with the U.S. to test Theatre Missile Defence (TMD) systems, a cheaper ‘more flexible boost-phase missile defence’ option. Code-named Project Dundee, the tests have been using over-the-horizon radar to track U.S.-built rockets fired out to sea from the northwest coast of Western Australia. The system’s capability is designed to be directed at North Korea and China.

Our involvement in NMD and TMD will obviously aggravate the Chinese government, (and other governments too) so could make us a target in the event of nuclear war between the US and one of its ‘enemies’.

Where the parties stand
The Liberal Government has made it very clear that it totally supports the US move, while Mr Beazley said (AM, 8 May) that while the ANZUS treaty was extremely important to Australia, Australia did not necessarily have to go along with every single thing the Bush administration did.

ALP foreign affairs spokesperson Laurie Brereton had said in response to the Bush announcement of the missile defence program, that an ALP government would review involvement in missile defence via the joint facilities, and on March 1 the Senate carried a motion to that effect. The opposition stance is heartening but Australian non-involvement is not yet totally ‘in the bag’. Lobbying your ALP politicians should help.
Plans for Pine Gap blockade

The Australian Anti-Bases Campaign Coalition is planning a blockade of Pine Gap next Easter (2002) if it seems that this base will be used in Bush’s Star Wars plan. See www.anti-bases.org

You CAN try this at home!
If you can’t join us for the gathering on 12 June, write your own letter and fax it to:

President George W. Bush
1-202-456-2461, 1-202-456-2883
PM Tony Blair
44-207-925-0918,
Robin Cook, UK Min. for Foreign Affairs
44-207-829-2417
AUSTRALIA
Alexander Downer, Minister for Foreign Affairs
02-6273-4112, 08-8370-8166
Peter Reith, Minister for Defence
02-6273-4115, 03-5979-3034
Kim Beazley Leader of the Opposition
02-6277-8495