Chirac is his

own worst enemy

The guessing game is over. France has told the world that it is resuming its nuclear testing pro gramme in the South Pacific, starting next month.

From September through to May next

year, France’s new president announced that his country would conduct eight tests at Mururoa Atoll in Tahitian Nui, thou sands of kilometres away from Paris.

Its stated reason was that these tests were necessary to Maintain the deterrence which is at the heart of France’s defence strategy. A cheap stunt indeed.

As the new boy in the Paris palace expected, shock, disbelief and utter con demnation greeted his announcement.

Shock, because the decision by France to resume nuclear testing has put back the clock many years, plunging the world back on the brink of the nuclear arms race and the nagging possibility of a nuclear war.

For the South Pacific, not only was the decision was one of shock and disbelief, it had dealt a major setback to the good rela tions between Pacific Island Countries and France.

For years, there was a kind of stand-off between Paris and the island governments in the Pacific including Australia and New Zealand, but relations thawed when for mer President Francois Mitterand announced a unilateral; moratorium.

Like the rest of the world, Mr Mitterand himself was shocked to hear his

predecessor announced resumption of

nuclear tests. It is our hope here in the Pacific family of nations that other nuclear states will not follow France.

France’s decision to resume nuclear testing in the South Pacific makes one wonder what matters any more these days.

As France has proven, its policy does not value its relations with other countries.

And yet in the Pacific, relationship is the closest thing to the heart of those who live in this region.

In a charged situation such as the nuclear testing issue, it is almost difficult to do anything without emotions. France, no doubt, has seen evidence of that through condemnations by governments, regional organisations, non-govemmental organisations (NGOs) both within and out side the South Pacific region.

Unfortunately, the stroke of a pen has destroyed that relations we had painstak ing built with France over the last few

years. Our value is based on trust and respect. The French decision has clearly

ignored both.

It seems clear that France has yet to leant to accept that New Caledonia, Tahiti- Nui and Wallis Futuna are not French in their entirety, that is geographically, ethi

cally and demographically.

Geographically, these island states form an integral part of the Pacific. It would have been proper if France had cho sen to test these deadly weapons system in Europe, especially in France itself.

Ethnically, the peoples who inhabit these islands are from the Pacific. Their backyard should never be used under any circumstances without their consent. In particular, for detonating a weapons sys tem whose radiation fallout result in can cer and cancer-related illnesses.

In fact, if these tests are as safe as the French make them out to be, then it is only proper that these are conducted in France itself.

Demographically, there are more peo ple with either Pacific origin, orientation or both living in these islands than indige nous Frenchman and women.

Sure, there are French-speaking people living on these islands, but so are English

speaking people.

The age-old argument that these island states are French colonies, hence Paris decides what is and what is not good for their inhabitants is not only old but out of step with fundamental changes taking

place globally. France’s dictatorial policy

in this area infringes on the very rights of the people of these islands to decide their

own destiny.

By using Mururoa Atoll for these nuclear tests, France is not only suppress ing the rights of the indigenous people there, it is denying these people the oppor tunity to decide for themselves their own destiny and how to achieve whatever that goal maybe.

It is sad indeed that France appears to be the only country to encourage depen dency rather than encourage its remaining territories in the Pacific to start thinking of doing and making decisions for them selves, including independence.

There is a positive side to all of this.

France still has time to change its mind and become a world hero. Do it now.

President Chirac. Show the world that det onating the nuke is not worth the ridicule, international condemnation and isolation

France must go through.

Show the world that you are a world leader. Show the world that France is a world leader. Show the world that you lis ten to world opinions against nuclear test

ing.

Show the world that you are a man.

President Chirac. Show the world that you can turn world opinions against your coun try into one for France. No one wants to be a loser today, your decision to resume nuclear testing in the South Pacific has already put one foot of your country the door of international defeat and isolation.

World opinions are against you and will remain so for a long time to come. You cannot afford to do that in the face of efforts to consolidate the community of nations. But you. President Chirac, can change that. Pull back that errant foot and be a hero. Let France be the hero in this game.

Give our young generation(s) and those to come to an opportunity to remember you as the President who made tough deci sions. Give them an opportunity to remem ber you as the President who has world peace at heart. Because your decision to resume nuclear testing is a threat to world peace.

True, the People’s of Republic of China has not observed any moratoriums on test ing. But adding your country to the list of countries conducting nuclear testings only increases the pulse rate of a world which is

already feeling uneasy. Your leadership

can be part of the solution to this problem.

The world stands ready to applaud or further condemn you. Show the leadership that’s lacking today and give the opportu nity to the billions of people around the world to join the French people in applauding you for reversing the initial decision to resume testing.

Mr President, the ball is in your court.

From

Alfred Sasako

at the Forum Secretariat.