3/19 Rainbow Warrior Freed

[the.greenbase@green2.greenpeace.org]

----------
Original-TO:      World Press (Green2:Green2:Gnl:INET)
Original-Cc:      The Greenbase (Green2:Green2:Gnl:Main)
----------
                   ************************
                   GREENPEACE PRESS RELEASE
                   ************************
 
 
  RAINBOW WARRIOR FREED AFTER FIVE MONTHS IN DETENTION
 
Papeete, March 19 1996:- The Greenpeace flagship Rainbow
Warrior sailed from Hao atoll into international waters today,
five months after being seized by the French military during
protests against nuclear testing at Moruroa last year.
 
The Rainbow Warrior is the fourth Greenpeace ship to be freed
from French custody this month.  The Rainbow Warrior and the

MV Greenpeace, due to be released in the next few days, were
both detained at the French military base at Hao, while the
Vega, La Ribaude and Manutea were released from Moruroa last
week.
 
The captains of both the Rainbow Warrior and the Greenpeace
have been under pressure from the French authorities to leave
Hao as soon as possible.  The skipper of the Rainbow Warrior,
Andy Troia, said that once the Greenpeace was released, the
two ships would sail together for safety reasons for the next
few days.
 
"Our ships are in bad disrepair and we have not had adequate
time to check all the systems on board," he said.  "Both ships
will require extensive repairs before getting back to
campaigning work, and Greenpeace will be able to decide their
destinations only after seeing how they handle at sea."
 
The release of the Rainbow Warrior comes a week before France,
Britain and the United States sign the South Pacific Nuclear
Free Zone Treaty on March 25th.  Greenpeace's Bunny McDiarmid
said the three nuclear powers now had an urgent responsibility
to ensure a Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) was signed
this year. China is the only nation planning to carry out
nuclear tests this year prior to the conclusion of the CTBT.
 
"Chinese Premier Li Peng must hear from the international
community in the same way that France did, that continued
testing is unacceptable and is jeopardising the conclusion of
a test ban treaty," McDiarmid said.
 
She said Greenpeace was calling on its members globally to
write to Chinese Premier Li Peng to ensure that the Chinese
authorities were aware of citizens' opposition to nuclear
testing world-wide.
 
ENDS
 
For more information, contact:
Bunny McDiarmid/Arnaud Apoteker, Tahiti, +689 433282
Stephanie Mills, New Zealand +64 9 630 63 17 or +64 25 790 817
Laurence Mermet, France, +33 1 4770 4689
Blair Palese, Greenpeace Communications, +44 141 833 0600

----------