US, Japan Violate Nuke Prolif Export Guides

[The.Greenbase@gb.greenpeace.org]

>> ON EVE OF NPT REVIEW, UNITED STATES AND JAPAN ACCUSED OF 

 
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                    GREENPEACE PRESS RELEASE
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>> ON EVE OF NPT REVIEW, UNITED STATES AND JAPAN ACCUSED OF 
VIOLATING INTERNATIONAL NUCLEAR PROLIFERATION EXPORT GUIDELINES  
 
WASHINGTON, D.C., March, 30, 1995 (GP) With only two weeks left
before the start of the conference to review the Nuclear Non-
Proliferation Treaty (NPT), Greenpeace International today
charged the United States and Japan with violating international
export control guidelines designed to halt the spread of nuclear
technology which could provide access to the highest quality
plutonium for nuclear weapons.
 
The assertion by Greenpeace was made in a report released in
advance of meeting of the Nuclear Suppliers Group of nations from
April 3-7, in Helsinki, Finland. This organization, with
membership from 31 mostly western countries, was formed in the
mid-1970s to control the proliferation of nuclear technologies to
non-nuclear weapon states.
 
The report, entitled "The Violation of International Nuclear
export Controls: Supergrade Plutonium, the United States and
Japan", asserts that both the U.S. and Japan violated NSG export
control guidelines with the export of plutonium reprocessing
technology from the U.S. Department of Energy to Japan.  That
reprocessing technology is currently being incorporated into a
reprocessing facility - the Recycle Equipment Test Facility
(RETF) - which will yield plutonium even purer than weapons-
grade.  Construction recently began on the RETF facility, which
will reprocess materials from plutonium "breeder" reactors. 
 
The Greenpeace report details how the United States failed to
classify technology it supplied to Japan (a non-nuclear weapon
state) as "sensitive", despite it being clearly identified as
such by the Zangger Committee's so-called `Trigger List'.  The
Trigger List was established by NPT member states in 1971 to
identify technology that should be exported only under certain
restrictions. Greenpeace believe that this failure is a breach of
both countries NPT responsibilities and should be discussed at
the up-coming NPT Conference. 
 
"What this case highlights is that nuclear export controls are
selectively applied and ignored when it is in the interests of
the trading states," said Tom Clements of Greenpeace
International.  
 
Greenpeace has delivered a copy of its report detailing the
violations to all 31 countries of the Nuclear Suppliers Group who
will meet in Helsinki to review nuclear export policy.
 
Greenpeace also charge both the United States and Japan with
violating the conditions for nuclear export established by the
Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).  The most serious violation is
that the United States did not insist on controls of the
technology if Japan were to consider re-exporting the technology
to a third country.
 
"The plutonium technology transferred to Japan will aid that
country or any other country to which the technology is
retransferred to obtain the highest quality for nuclear weapons.
Countries at next week's meeting of the Nuclear Suppliers Group
should condemn the violations of their Guidelines by the United
States and Japan,"" said Clements.
 
The technology transferred to Japan was developed at U.S. nuclear
weapons facilities, including Savannah River, Oak Ridge National
Laboratory, and Hanford, and was made public by Greenpeace in
September 1994.  In response to the Greenpeace allegation, the
United States Government announced an end to collaboration with
Japan in plutonium reprocessing, though it is felt that some
collaboration in plutonium separation is continuing. 
 
"The United States has rejected international export controls on
sensitive nuclear technology, and Japanese officials have stated
that they will sell this technology in the future.  With only two
weeks to go before the beginning of the NPT Conference, this
violation of sensitive nuclear technology guidelines illustrates
to the other NPT countries that a real proliferation problem lies
with the 'advanced' nuclear countries," said Clements.  "This
violation of export controls by the U.S. and Japan should be
reviewed in depth by the NPT Conference."
 
Greenpeace has requested to the NSG countries that they present
the results of their Helsinki meeting, specifically their review
of U.S. and Japanese violations, to the up-coming April NPT
Review and Extension Conference, for the consideration by all NPT
parties.
 
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For more information: 
 
Tom Clements, Greenpeace International, Plutonium Campaign,
Washington, D.C., USA, tel. 1-202-319-2506, fax 1-202-462-4507
Shaun Burnie, Greenpeace International, Amsterdam, tel.
31-20-523-6222, fax 31-20-523-6200
 
Notes: 
 
The 9-page report is available via fax from Greenpeace.
 
The Nuclear Suppliers Group, originally known as the London
Suppliers Club, was formed after meetings held in London from
1975 to 1977.  The Guidelines drafted by the Group for nuclear
exports to non-nuclear weapon states, were ostensibly intended to
slow down the transfer of sensitive nuclear technology. 
 
Greenpeace's main charge is that the United States and Japan
failed to comply with Article 10 (a) and (b), `Controls on
Retransfer' of the NSG Guidelines.  (Guidelines also available
via fax.)