Messages from 30 heads of state at Peace memorial museum

8/2/00

The leaders of 30 countries sent peace messages to Hiroshima expressing their determination to achieve world peace. They went on display August 1 in the Peace Memorial Museum, east building.

"The boming of Hiroshima in 1945 was indubitably one of the last century's greatest human tragedies." (President Vaira Viie-Freirberga of Latvia). The stockpiling of nuclear weapons that continued in the wake of the bombings is the "single greatest threat to the existence of the human race." (Sheikh Hasina of Bangladesh.)

The view that nuclear weapons are an "absolute evil" dominates the messages. Prime Minister Hun Sen of Cambodia, a country long embattled by civil war, wrote, "For the livelihood of mankind, it is imperative that wars are prevented and world destructive weaspons, such as atomic bombs, are completely destroyed." President Cardozo of Brazil expressed his belief that "Remembering Hiroshima is powerful encouragement to work ceaselessly for nuclear weapons abolition."

Referring to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference held this spring, President Mary McAleese of Ireland wrote, "...the Final Document includes an unequivocal undertaking by the Nuclear Weapons States to accomplish the total elimination of their nuclear arsenals.... We look forward to hearing this year's Peace Declaration."

Last year, the city of Hiroshima asked ambassadors to Japan to send peace messages. This year the request was made to heads of state. No message was received from the five nuclear weapons states, India, or Pakistan.

---

back