France will close two of its Pacific test sites

its Pacific test sites

French Minister for National Defence, Mr. Michel Debre, was in Noumea in July to witness the French nuclear tests in Tahiti. He gave as the second reason for his visit a need to study the re organisation of the French Armed Forces in the Pacific.

At a news conference on July 9 he stated that the French Government considered there was no risk of pollu tion of the air or water due to the French nuclear tests. The govern ment was thus planning to continue its policy of nuclear experimentation.

The government also had to arrive at a greater efficiency in its Pacific military posts. In New Caledonia, the Gendarmerie corps was to be re inforced. He referred to the 24 new gendarmes who had arrived in the territory the previous week, in sup port of the extra 20 who arrived towards the end of last year.

The Minister declared that the first “Alouette” helicopter for the Gendarmerie had left Marseille and a second could be expected in the terri tory in a few months. The poor state of Caledonian roads was given as one of the reasons requiring an in crease in the number of gendarmes on duty.

The Minister said that France is also planning to increase the number of assistant-gendarmes, who would be recruited locally. The main Gendarmerie reinforcements are ex pected to be in the administrative centres of Poindimie, Kone and La Foa.

The gendarmes are used in a multi tude of police and administrative duties outside Noumea. They will be largely occupied in keeping contact with Melanesian tribes and inland mining centres.

During his two-day visit Mr. Debre was accompanied by Noumea-based Admiral Behic and General Perron on inspection tours of navy, marines and gendarme installations. A visit to the camp of 150. paratroopers at Plum, outside Noumea, was cancelled at the last minute, possibly due to the fact that a new detachment of paratroopers was expected that night to replace the existing force, return ing to France.

Other French military statements in July included one from the leader of the current nuclear tests, General Roger Guernon, that France was to close two of its three Pacific test sites following the 1970-71 tests.

His statement, which added that

personnel at the test sites would be cut by 20 to 30 per cent, at the end of the tests, was taken to indicate that France was satisfied that its nuclear arsenal was now sufficient.

Forty French warships have been de ployed around the Mururoa area for a series of nuclear bomb tests, de signed to move France close to the design of a miniature warhead.

Meanwhile in France, all has not been a matter of assent to the tests.

French author, Jean Toulat, who wrote The Bomb Or Life, demanded to know, if there was no contamin ation from the bomb tests, why the next ones could not be made off Brest or Toulon instead of in the Pacific.

A group of French scientists, headed oy biologist, Jean Rostand, said that even if there was no apparent fallout contamination in the Mururoa lagoon, there was still great danger of fallout further afield, especially Chile or Peru.

Mr. Debre had earlier in the month demonstrated his faith in the “clean liness” of the tests by going for a brave swim in the South Pacific. He said all anti-contamination precau tions had been taken.

Last word from the French pre sident, Georges Pompidou. At a Paris news conference on July 3, he was asked if he believed there was a possibility of nuclear collaboration between Great Britain and France. He replied: “Everything is always possible.

Agreements on nuclear matters be tween France and Great Britain are indeed possible, and probably even desirable, but there are some boundaries that one cannot hope to make us cross and, in particular, one cannot hope to make us re-enter

Nato.

• Norfolk Island held its council elections on July 1. Elected were Wilfrid Metcalfe Randall, Gregory Gilbert Quintal, Charles Leopold Evans, Albert Stuart Bathie, Richard Albert Bataille, John Healey Ryves, Bruce Colin Mackenzie and Roy Andrew Smith.