Here is more information about events in Brussels next week.

The Last Atomic Bomb Thursday 6 July, 6pm - 7:30pm

Return to the ICJ Planning Meeting

Abolition 2000 Europe Network Meeting: Thursday 6th July, 8 pm, Bond Beter Leefmilieu, Tweekerkenstraat 47, Brussels

Activist Workshop: Friday 7th July, 6pm-8pm, at or near European Parliament

Bombspotting Action at NATO hq: Saturday 8th July, Meet at 10:30am, Brussels Central Train Station

The Last Atomic Bomb

On Thursday 6 July, the first day of the conference, 18.00 -19.30, there will be a showing of  showing of  "The Last Atomic Bomb".  It is made by Robert Richter and Kathleen Sullivan. This is an acclaimed film and you are urged to see it.  We are not sure of the location yet but this will be announced at the Conference.

We need to know the numbers for this film, so if you want to see it, please email me with the message:

"I would like to attend a viewing of "The Last Atomic Bomb"  or phone George Farebrother on +44 (0)1323 844 269



Return to the ICJ Planning Meeting

This very important meeting aims to take our two-day conference forward. It's objective is to make plans for our international initiative to make another approach to the International Court of Justice about the legal status of nuclear weapons ten years after the 1996 Advisory Opinion. For this we need to create and administer a global network of citizens and NGOs. Please consider attending this meeting if you wish to play a part in our work.

The meeting will be hosted by the German chapter of the International Association of Lawyers Against Nuclear Arms at the Van Belle Hotel at Chaussee de Mons 39, 1070 Brussels, 500 metres from the Clemenceau metro, 02 521 3516.

If you wish to attend please email me with the message "I wish to attend the Return to the ICJ Planning meeting" and copy your message to Reiner Braun on Hr.Braun@gmx.net, Alternatively to can contact me by writing to 67 Summerheath Rd, Hailsham, Sussex UK BN27 3DR, or phoning +44 (0)1323 844 269.

Activist Workshop

We invite you to a workshop on defending in court citizen inspection actions and direct actions against nuclear weapons. This will take place after the conference in the European Parliament or nearby on 7 July on 18.00 - 20.00. The exact location will be announced during the conference. It will follow up the conference sessions "Experiences in Domestic Courts" in the morning. The workshop is meant for activists and campaigners as well as for lawyers defending activists and organisers of legal support.

We can argue that the threat or use of nuclear weapons is illegal but this does not mean that every action against nuclear weapons is legal. While the conference deals with the illegality of nuclear weapons according to international law, the workshop will give an overview of the other legal issues to think about in order to raise a coherent legal defence for citizens' inspections and disarmament actions.

These issues are embedded in the national law systems and include:

- the incorporation of international law in your national legal system
- available defences in your national criminal law system
- the status of international law crimes (codified and how?) in your national legal system
- criminal procedure aspects (is a jury trial possible, what legal forum would suit an activist trial best in your national court system, to what extent can you give direction to the criminal investigation).

We will look into the court experiences and lessons learned from earlier actions and trials.

You do not need to be a legal expert to participate! But in order to make the workshop as interactive and practical as possible, some of you might be able to bring with you an introduction to your national criminal and criminal procedure law and/or the law text books. If possible you can do some preparatory work on the issues mentioned earlier.

This workshop is organised by Bombspotting and World Court Project UK. Please register by contacting Hans Lammerant (Bombspotting) on hans@vredesactie.be, Lange Steenstraat 18Q, 9000 Gent, Belgium, + 32 47 96 82 443.


Bombspotting

You may wish to delay your departure from Brussels for a day so that you can participate in the Bombspotting demonstration at NATO HQ in Brussels, on Saturday 8th July to attend the demonstration.

Here is a message from the Bombspotting campain. There are 4 X 10 points to consider:

* 10 years after the International Court of Justice advisory Opinion

* 10 years resistance to nuclear weapons

* 10 years of Belgian and NATO refusal to comply with international law

* 10 actions in 10 places related to NATO nuclear weapons in Belgium.

On 8th July 1996, the struggle against nuclear weapons gained a new momentum. The advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice was not only a moral support, but formed the basis for a new campaign of civil disobedience against nuclear weapons. Citizen inspectors entered military bases and other sites related to nuclear weapons. In Belgium, this action model was taken up by the "Bombspotting" campaign.

We believe that the nuclear weapons in Kleine Brogel (Belgium) and other NATO airbases are illegal and that the nuclear weapon strategy of NATO is also illegal. That has been clear since the ICJ advisory opinion of 8th July 1996. But, there are still nuclear weapons in Belgium and 5 other NATO member states. 8th July marks ten years of Belgium and NATO failure to comply with international law.

On the 10th anniversary of the ICJ advisory opinion, the Belgian Bombspotting campaign is organising 10 actions in 10 places across Belgium. Sites include: The nuclear weapon storage site at Kleine Brogel, NATO HQs in Brussels and Mons, locations related to communication and logistic support for nuclear weapons in Europe, and the Belgian Ministries of Defence and Foreign Affairs.

International participants in the conference "Freedom from Nuclear Weapons" are very welcome to join the demonstration at NATO HQ in Brussels on Saturday 8th July, the day after the conference. There will be a short briefing before the demonstration in the main ticket hall of Central Station (easily accessible by public transport) at 10:30am, before we travel together to NATO HQ, to join the Belgian activists. Look out for the person wearing a yellow "Bombspotting" jacket.

Please note, the demonstration will take place with the knowledge of the police,and does not include civil disobedience, but it is important that everyone coming to the demonstration attends the briefing.

The demonstration will finish by around 2:30pm, after which it will be possible to take public transport back to Brussels.

More information on the Bombspotting campaign can be found at: www.bombspotting.be

If you would like more details, and to confirm your attendance, please contact David Heller, david@motherearth.org,
Maria Hendrikaplein 5, 9000 Gent, Belgium Phone: +32-9-224.87.52

Abolition 2000 Europe Network Meeting

The A2000 Europe network meeting will take place in in Brussels Thursday July 6th 2006 at 8 pm Bond Beter Leefmilieu, Tweekerkenstraat 47, 1000 Brussels (near metro Arts/Loi). We will provide you with a map in your ICJ 10+ Conference folder.

Agenda proposal

* Campaign/Activities by European network
- Country reports (2 minutes max)
- short report A2000 AGM Vancouver
- Parliamentary Network for Nuclear Disarmament (PNND)
- Mayors for Peace
- Youth network
- EP Conference November 2006
- Return to ICJ
- Citizens Complain Day during NATO Summit November
- NPT PrepCom
- A2000 Europe Network updates
- Fundraising & network structure (February 2nd message)
- New network contacts
- A2000 Europe at the European Social Forum

Please get back to us if you have other items you want to discuss.

Contact Pol D'Huyvetter, pol@motherearth.org, Maria Hendrikaplein 5, 9000 Gent, Belgium Phone: +32-9-224.87.52

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