By Thalif Deen
UNITED NATIONS, Nov 7 1995 (IPS)

Four industrial nations — Norway, Japan, Australia and New Zealand — have broken ranks with the West in supporting a new U.N. resolution urging an immediate halt to all nuclear testing.

Canada, the only other Western state in the original list of cosponsors, sprung a surprise by withdrawing its support at the eleventh hour. Officials on Ottawa’s delegation said an explanation would soon be forthcoming.

The resolution, which is expected to be taken up by the 185- member General Assembly in late November, is directed primarily at France and China which have resumed nuclear tests recently.

Canada’s decision to pull out of the resolution came as a surprise to some delegates here who think the Canadian government may have given in to French pressure.

But Leonard Johnson of the Ottawa-based Canadian Pugwash Group told IPS about reports that Canada’s withdrawal had been over a disagreement with the preamble to the resolution.

“It was not due to a big change of heart. Canada still says it upholds the principle. I will give them the benefit of the doubt,” he said.

The Canadian Pugwash Group says Canada has very strong credentials in nuclear non-proliferation.

In the late 1940s, Canada chose not to develop atomic weapons when it could have done so. And in the 1980s, Canada rid itself of U.S. nuclear warheads on Canadian soil or made available to Canadian forces in Europe.

France and China, two veto-wielding permanent members of the Security Council, have resumed nuclear testing despite their recent support for the indefinite extension of the nuclear Non- Proliferation Treaty (NPT) earlier this year.

The only other three declared nuclear-weapons states are the United States, Britain and Russia, which are also permanent members of the Security Council.

“The continuation of nuclear tests was not compatible with the commitments entered into at the review conference of the NPT,” Antonio de Icaza of Mexico told delegates Tuesday.

Utula Samana of Papua New Guinea said nuclear testing in any part of the world was a backward step, ran contrary to the letter and spirit of the NPT, and violated the trust between non-nuclear- weapon states and nuclear-weapon parties to the treaty.

“There is no such thing as a safe nuclear test,” he said, speaking on behalf of all the Pacific countries.

The 32 co-sponsors of the anti-nuclear testing resolution, mostly from the Third World, include Brazil, Chile, Indonesia, Mexico, Nicaragua, Peru, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Ukraine, South Africa and Uruguay.

The resolution says that nuclear testing “is not consistent with undertakings by the nuclear-weapon states” at the review conference held at the United Nations in May.

The 32 countries also say they are “deeply concerned” about the potential negative effects of underground nuclear testing on health and environment.

China’s tests have been mostly underground and in Chinese soil, while the French tests have been carried out on French- administered territories in the Pacific.

Poseci Bune of Fiji urged France to address concerns about the environmental and health risks posed by its continued testing and to provide international access to all relevant scientific data for an independent and comprehensive assessment of the effects of testing.

“If the tests are safe, as the French government claims, what is the need for this cloak of secrecy,?” he asked.

Richard Starr of Australia said his government’s position on nuclear testing was unequivocal: it must end and it must end now.

He said nuclear testing flies in the face of international opinion, the post-Cold War disarmament agenda, and the poliitcal commitments made by parties to the NPT review conference.

“The Chinese government tested almost before the ink was dry on the NPT extension decision,” he said, “And, shortly thereafter, France announced an intensive programme of eight tests at the rate of about one a month.”

Starr said Australia is calling for the “immediate cessation” of all such testing. “The word ‘immediate’ signifies a unique point in time: that time is now,” he added.

Ambassador Colin Keating of New Zealand said that “real alarm” had been expressed at the new spate of testing.

South Pacific leaders had expressed extreme outrage and called for such testing to stop immediately, he said.

Hisami Kurokochi of Japan pointed out that the current nuclear testing was “extremely disturbing, and it was of vital importance for the international community to pursue the immediate cessation of all such tests.”

Excerpt:

By Thalif Deen
UNITED NATIONS, Nov 7 1995 (IPS)

Four industrial nations — Norway, Japan, Australia and New Zealand — have broken ranks with the West in supporting a new U.N. resolution urging an immediate halt to all nuclear testing.

Canada, the only other Western state in the original list of cosponsors, sprung a surprise by withdrawing its support at the eleventh hour. Officials on Ottawa’s delegation said an explanation would soon be forthcoming.

The resolution, which is expected to be taken up by the 185- member General Assembly in late November, is directed primarily at France and China which have resumed nuclear tests recently.

Canada’s decision to pull out of the resolution came as a surprise to some delegates here who think the Canadian government may have given in to French pressure.

But Leonard Johnson of the Ottawa-based Canadian Pugwash Group told IPS about reports that Canada’s withdrawal had been over a disagreement with the preamble to the resolution.

“It was not due to a big change of heart. Canada still says it upholds the principle. I will give them the benefit of the doubt,” he said.

The Canadian Pugwash Group says Canada has very strong credentials in nuclear non-proliferation.

In the late 1940s, Canada chose not to develop atomic weapons when it could have done so. And in the 1980s, Canada rid itself of U.S. nuclear warheads on Canadian soil or made available to Canadian forces in Europe.

France and China, two veto-wielding permanent members of the Security Council, have resumed nuclear testing despite their recent support for the indefinite extension of the nuclear Non- Proliferation Treaty (NPT) earlier this year.

The only other three declared nuclear-weapons states are the United States, Britain and Russia, which are also permanent members of the Security Council.

“The continuation of nuclear tests was not compatible with the commitments entered into at the review conference of the NPT,” Antonio de Icaza of Mexico told delegates Tuesday.

Utula Samana of Papua New Guinea said nuclear testing in any part of the world was a backward step, ran contrary to the letter and spirit of the NPT, and violated the trust between non-nuclear- weapon states and nuclear-weapon parties to the treaty.

“There is no such thing as a safe nuclear test,” he said, speaking on behalf of all the Pacific countries.

The 32 co-sponsors of the anti-nuclear testing resolution, mostly from the Third World, include Brazil, Chile, Indonesia, Mexico, Nicaragua, Peru, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Ukraine, South Africa and Uruguay.

The resolution says that nuclear testing “is not consistent with undertakings by the nuclear-weapon states” at the review conference held at the United Nations in May.

The 32 countries also say they are “deeply concerned” about the potential negative effects of underground nuclear testing on health and environment.

China’s tests have been mostly underground and in Chinese soil, while the French tests have been carried out on French- administered territories in the Pacific.

Poseci Bune of Fiji urged France to address concerns about the environmental and health risks posed by its continued testing and to provide international access to all relevant scientific data for an independent and comprehensive assessment of the effects of testing.

“If the tests are safe, as the French government claims, what is the need for this cloak of secrecy,?” he asked.

Richard Starr of Australia said his government’s position on nuclear testing was unequivocal: it must end and it must end now.

He said nuclear testing flies in the face of international opinion, the post-Cold War disarmament agenda, and the poliitcal commitments made by parties to the NPT review conference.

“The Chinese government tested almost before the ink was dry on the NPT extension decision,” he said, “And, shortly thereafter, France announced an intensive programme of eight tests at the rate of about one a month.”

Starr said Australia is calling for the “immediate cessation” of all such testing. “The word ‘immediate’ signifies a unique point in time: that time is now,” he added.

Ambassador Colin Keating of New Zealand said that “real alarm” had been expressed at the new spate of testing.

South Pacific leaders had expressed extreme outrage and called for such testing to stop immediately, he said.

Hisami Kurokochi of Japan pointed out that the current nuclear testing was “extremely disturbing, and it was of vital importance for the international community to pursue the immediate cessation of all such tests.”

Excerpt: