S. African Gov't Confirms It Was Mislead on N-Waste Shipment by

["Greenbase" <greenbas@gb.greenpeace.org>]

SOUTH AFRICAN GOVERNMENT CONFIRMS THAT IT WAS MISLEAD ABOUT
NUCLEAR WASTE SHIPMENT BY BRITAIN, FRANCE AND JAPAN
 
Cape Town, February 4, 1997, A statement issued today by the
South African government has confirmed that Britain, France and
Japan broke promises that they made about keeping their nuclear
waste shipment away from the South African coast. 
Greenpeace has called the revelation "shocking" and is
calling on the South African government to take decisive
action to protect the public and environment against other
imminent shipments of nuclear waste and plutonium bound for
Japan.
 
In his statement issued today, Environment Minister Pallo
Jordan has stated that Britain, France and Japan gave
"undertakings that the craft would sail well clear of South
Africa's E.E.Z."  Despite tbis pledge, Jordan confirmed that the
British-flagged nuclear freighter Pacific Teal had
sailed within as little as 90 nautical miles of the coast
and steamed through South Africa's Exclusive Economic Zone
(EEZ) waters for two days.  Accordingly, Jordan states
"...that undertakings given to us, by the operators of the
"Pacific Teal", have been broken."
 
"British, French and Japanese officials lied to the South
African government in a shocking effort to down-play this
dangerous transport," said Diederik Samsom of Greenpeace.  
"These countries have acted with contempt for the sovereign will
and rights of the South African government and public. It is
clear that South Africa can not rely on these
governments to be either honest or transparent about their
trade in weapons-usable plutonium and nuclear waste."
 
Minister Jordan also stated that the "hazards" of such
nuclear waste shipments on the high seas "cannot be
overemphasized."  He further warned that "The experience of the
"Pacific Teal's" voyage along our coast will inform
South Africa's future response to the shipment of radio-
active waste."
 
Unfortunately, the statement does not identify the actions
South Africa intends to take to preclude the risk of future
shipments.  In fact, Minister Jordan suggests that South
Africa may not have the "authority" to exclude such
shipments from the waters of its EEZ.  This puts the
Minister at odds with the governments of numerous other
enroute nations who maintain that the authority to control
such ultrahazardous cargoes in their EEZ's stems from a
nations right to protect its environment and natural
resources.  The application of this argument in the last few
weeks has lead such countries as Argentina, Brazil, Chile,
Malaysia, and New Zealand to state that the ship should
remain outside of their EEZs.
 
"Other government's are asserting their prerogative to
protect their environment," said Samsom.  "If the South
African government does not act with equal strength, it runs the
risk of sending the signal that it will not really
protest and oppose these shipments.  A more timid approach
could well make South Africa a way point on a
nuclear waste and plutonium highway between Europe and
Japan."
 
"We call on Minister Jordan and the government to outline
its future intentions regarding these shipments," said
Michael Bam of Environmental Justice Network Forum of South
Africa.  "We are prepared to work with the government on an
action plan to prevent future violations by such transports and
to endorse and promote opposition to such transports in both
regional and international fora."
 
---end---
 
Diederik Samsom/Jaap Rodenburg, Cape Town, +27-21-462-3099
Damon Moglen, Washington, DC, +1-202-319-2513