ABSTRACT: Letter to all representative of the parliamentary Assemblies of the democratic countries to inform them of the immediate adoption, on the part of the European Parliament, of resolution No. 375/81 which advocated, among other things, the allocation of $5 billion to save 5 billion lives threatened by starvation, and to inform them of the unlimited hunger strike which Pannella started on 2 September to urge a concrete application of such resolution, and of the Manifesto of Nobel Prizes against world hunger and for development.

(Original version: english)

Brussels, the 1st October 1981

Dear Colleague,

I am happy to be able to tell you that the European Parliament has, on the basis of the Nobel Prize Winners Manifesto - from which it has derived consistent objectives and decisions that we believe to be of historical significance -, adopted the attached Resolution.

I also enclosed the list of colleagues having signed this document, from which you will see that representatives of evens political persuasion and nationality in the European Parliament have rallied to the call.

The official announcement of the Resolution's adoption will be made by the President, Simone Veil, on 14 October. That very same morning, a top-level public seminar will be held in another parliamentary forum to celebrate and to study the implementation of the European Parliament decisions. This seminar in Strasbourg will be attended by some of the 54 Nobel Prize Winners having signed the Manifesto, as well as by a number of leading international authorities and representatives from many third world states, all of whom will be coming together to emphasize the enormous importance of the decisions taken, to lend their support to them and to act to prevent the great hopes thus kindled from once more ending in disappointment and defeat.

It is then that we shall make public the messages already announced by Heads of State and leading figures from the world of politics and culture.

While I am sure that you will understand that we are unable to provide you with hospitality and to meet any travel costs involved, as we should indeed like to be able to do, we shall be delighted and honoured to count you among us on that occasion and have pleasure, therefore, in enclosing herewith our cordial and sincere invitation to attend.

If you are unable to do so, I should be grateful if you would let us know your feelings with regard to this European Parliament decision. In the event that your message is one of support and agreement, we should ask you to forward it to us by the swiftest possible means, thereby enabling us the better to prepare its circulation.

I trust that this decision by us will prove useful to you in your struggle as representative of your country's people and, therefore, of Europe. The initiative started by us should now secure the earliest possible agreement of your Government since the EEC Council of Ministers and Commission must now act on it immediately if it is to take the form of tangible action by the European Communities and the 10 countries comprising it. With this in view, it is most important that similar initiatives are also undertaken in your own Parliament, in the interests of not only Community action but action at the national level also.

Ensuring the survival of the 30 million people who would otherwise be at the point of death in 1982 must be the locomotive to which, finally, the train of development and peace is to be hitched. It seems to us, after the unsuccessful experiments conducted during the first two decades of the UN for Development, to be the only clear and inevitable proposal which will enable our peoples also to understand, band together and support the action in this area by their elected representatives and leaders.

I wonder whether proper and appropriate intergroups should not be formed in every national Parliament to ensure the immediate adoption of policies consistent with the Manifesto signed by the 54 Nobel Prize Winners and with the determination of so many of our colleagues to overcome party divisions and unite in the face of such an essential and urgent human objective.

While asking you please to excuse the length of this letter, I should advise you that the Italian Government is about to take up many of the objectives which have now become European Parliament objectives and that similar initiatives are already afoot in many other Parliaments throughout the world.

As for myself, after many years of Parliamentary political struggle such as you and many other colleagues have also experienced, I began an indefinite hunger strike from 2 September, according to my nonviolent philosophy, which I shall suspend only if and when we have the absolute certain assurance that at least 3 million people will be saved in 1982.

I do not despair that this act of apparent "insanity" directed against what is now becoming the most hideous insanity of our times may, thanks to your commitment and to your conscience as both a human being and a member of Parliament, help to bring about the result which all of us are hoping to achieve.

Please accept the assurance of my warmest and most sincere wishes to both you and those near and dear to you.

Marco Pannella

P.S. I am indebted to NGO Food and Disarmament International for having made it possible for me to address this letter, together with the enclosed documentation, to you.