Mexican Congressman Robles Issues Open Letter

More Urgent than Ever:
Stop the Danger of Nuclear War!

March 13—The Congressman Benjamín Robles Montoya of Mexico issued the following “Letter to Current and Former Legislators of the World” on the letterhead of the Chamber of Deputies, LXV Legislature. It is dated Mexico City, March 13, 2024.

Dear colleagues from around the world:

A year and a half ago, a group of current and former legislators of Mexico and other countries around the world held a series of international seminars on the subject: “Stop the Danger of Nuclear War!” In November of that year, we circulated an urgent call to our colleagues, current and former legislators of the world, “to join this effort that we have launched, in order to urge all world citizens to also unite to create a new international security and development architecture, which respects the security interests of all nations and which guarantees the right to welfare and economic development of all people on the planet.”

Today, 18 months later, it is more urgent than ever that we mobilize to stop the danger of a nuclear war, and that we redouble those efforts before it is too late. The war in Ukraine is at the point of turning into a direct confrontation between, not just weapons, but NATO troops directly deployed on Ukrainian territory, and Russia. And now [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu’s genocide against the Palestinian people has unleashed such great human suffering that the entire planet is shaken—a genocide which threatens to expand that war throughout the region.

In a speech I delivered at the March 6, 2024 session of Mexico’s Chamber of Deputies, I stated:

“The expansionist drive of the powers, the monstrosities of a voracious economic system that has generated inequality and misery, are a breeding ground for conflict.

“Economic sanctions have only served to aggravate conflicts, to produce more suffering for the people, to provoke shortages of medicines and energy, as well as to drive world inflation.

“How valid is the famous phrase of the Hero of the Americas, President Benito Juárez, that ‘among individuals as among nations, respect for the rights of others is peace!’…

“Today the threat of nuclear war is again looming, with the United States sending weapons to Ukraine and Israel, where what is happening is an atrocious genocide; with meddling in the China-Taiwan conflict; with Russia, pulling out of strategic arms reduction treaties and nuclear test bans.

“Colleagues, we have reached the very precipice of nuclear war and it is imperative that all nations raise their voices—not the voice of one nation, nor of several nations, but of all humanity—for peace and against nuclear war.

“Let all the citizens of the world also unite in pursuit of a new international security and development architecture that guarantees the right to welfare and economic development of the people of the planet. Achieving peace through development, that is the path.”

For all of these reasons, we reiterate more urgently than ever our call to you, current and former legislators of the world, to join forces—above our different political and ideological orientations—in the necessary deliberation around a new security and development architecture.

With fraternal greetings,

Benjamín Robles Montoya

Federal Congressman

Congress of the Union of Mexico