Greenpeace blasts US

Nuclear Testing

Greenpeace blasts US over nuclear testing

Greenpeace has condemned as reck less and irresponsible a United States of America announcement that six underground tests involving nuclear materials will take place at its Nevada nuclear test site in 1996 and 1997.

The first test, “REBOUND”, is sched uled for June 18, 1996, according to the.

US Department of Energy.

The tests will most likely be so-called

“hydro-nuclear” tests, involving explo

sions of high explosives and nuclear mate rials such as plutonium. Such tests are claimed to have no nuclear yield, as no nuclear chain reaction is initiated, but, in fact, can produce a small fission yield; they are called “zero yield” only if their nuclear yield does not exceed their high explosive yield.

“This test will do more than rebound, it will be a disaster for international hopes for a comprehensive test ban treaty,”

Greenpeace Stephanie Mills said.

“Following on from France’s decision to resume nuclear testing, the US announce ment could be a death knell for the test ban talks reaching conclusion early next year.”

The Department of Energy argues that the tests are necessary to keep ageing nuclear weapons safe and to ensure the Nevada test site is ready to return to full underground tests at any time.

“The only safe nuclear weapon is a dis mantled one,” Stephanie Mills said.

“Greenpeace wants to see a Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty close nuclear test sites forever, not leave a trail of loopholes for the nuclear weapon states to continue to proliferate new nuclear weapons indefinitely.”

Hydro-nuclear tests could prove attrac tive to states wanting to develop secret nuclear weapons programmes, according to nuclear scientists, because they could provide confidence in otherwise untested weapons.

“A test ban treaty that allows hydro nuclear tests will not effectively stop nuclear proliferation and will permit the existing nuclear arsenals. The behaviour of the US, France and China on the testing issue has betrayed the trust of non-nuclear nations and undermined the Non- Proliferation Treaty,” Mills said. President Clinton must rein in the Department of Energy now, and pledge his commitment to a truly zero test ban treaty.”

Mills said the New Zealand Government must call in the US ambas sador, Josiah Beenan, to protest in the strongest possible terms and call for the

tests to be cancelled.

Meanwhile, Cook Islands Prime

Minister Sir Geoffrey Henry has again

called for an immediate cessation of all nuclear testing, the Cook Islands News reported Monday.

The call comes after France on October 28 carried out its third nuclear test in the latest series, a blast of less than 60-kilo tonnes, at Mururoa Atoll.

Sir Geoffrey had, prior to the third test, repeated his call for the immediate cessa tion of all nuclear testing, particularly France’s current testing programme in the South Pacific.

He said while he welcomed the deci sion by France, the United States and the United Kingdom to sign the protocols to the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone Treaty, the decision should be no excuse for continuing testing at Mururoa and

Fangataufa.

Sir Geoffrey said this would run counter to global efforts and commitments to move expeditiously towards total nuclear disarmament.

And the general secretary of Solomon Islands National Union of Workers, SINUW, David Tuhanuku, has condemned the British Government for supporting French nuclear testing in the South Pacific.

Tuhanuku says British Prime Minister John Major publicly announced his gov ernment’s support for France’s nuclear tests knowing that South Pacific countries were opposed to the tests.

Speaking from the Australian city of Newcastle, Tuhanuku said he was sur prised that in 1995, Britain, France and Germany still possessed colonial, greedy, ambitious and arrogant attitudes.

He said these countries’ attitudes destroyed the ideals of human respect, dig nity, rights and democracy, and was a hypocrisy on their part.

Tuhanuku has been holding discus sions in Newcastle with the managing director of Sofrana Unilines from Wellington and Australian union officials on SINUW’s plan to boycott handling of vessels of the French shipping company.*

Despite strong protests, France has continued nuclear testing and the US wants to start.