6/8 Clinton Must Condemn China Test & Cancel Plut.Tests

[the.greenbase@green2.greenpeace.org]

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Original-TO:      World Press (Green2:Green2:Gnl:INET)
Original-TO:   The.Greenbase@green2.greenpeace.org
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 PRESIDENT CLINTON MUST STRONGLY CONDEMN CHINESE TEST, CANCEL
JUNE 18 PLUTONIUM TEST PLANNED FOR NEVADA TEST SITE  
 
Press Advisory-WASHINGTON, June 8, 1996 (GP) Greenpeace
condemned China's 20-80 kiloton nuclear weapons test today and
called on President Clinton to protest the action and demand
that China immediately halt any further tests.   
The test comes at a crucial time in the negotiations in Geneva
for a Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT).   Those negotiations
are set to end on June 28 yet much work remains to be done to
finalize a treaty, which China has agreed to sign.
 
On Friday afternoon (June 7), 21 members of the US House of
Representatives sent a letter to President Clinton requesting
that he ask China not to test.  The lawmakers told the president
that "we expect you to strongly condemn" any Chinese tests and
"to call for a halt to any further planned tests."  It is
speculated that China has a test series of 2-5 weapons
development tests planned.   
 
The letter from the House of Representatives as well as a June
6 letter from a bi-partisan group of members of the Senate also
appealed to President Clinton to halt underground "subcritical"
tests by the US planned to begin June 18 at the Nevada Test
Site.  
Greenpeace has condemned the tests, which consist of plutonium
and high explosives, as being detrimental to the completion of
a test ban.  "In order to avoid further damage to the fragile
CTBT negotiations, the US must quickly move to cancel its
'subcritical' blast planned for Nevada," said Bruce Hall of
Greenpeace USA.
 
The environmental group said that its ship, the MV Greenpeace,
would sail today from Manila to continue its peaceful voyage to
Shanghai to deliver a message to China of worldwide opposition
to nuclear testing and nuclear weapons.  The ship, with three US
citizens on board, should arrive off China around 11 June. 
 
"China is not only jeopardizing the CTBT and impending progress
on nuclear disarmament, it is now the only nuclear weapons state
with an active testing program," said Tom Clements of Greenpeace
International nuclear campaign.  "International public opinion
should condemn China's tests as strongly as it did those of
France in order to keep the test ban talks on track."  
Today's test, which had up to five times the force of the

Hiroshima bomb, was conducted at the Lop Nor test site and was
China's 44th.  
 
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For More Information, contact:  Tom Clements, 202-319-2506
Bruce Hall, Greenpeace USA, 202-319-2514
Greenpeace Hong Kong, 852-2745-6914/6017
 
Notes to Editors:   Congressional letters and Greenpeace ship
satphone number ($10/minute) available on request.
 
 

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