Greenpeace Offers BNFL Opportunity to Fund Environmental Researc

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

GREENPEACE OFFERS BNFL THE OPPORTUNITY TO FUND ENVIRONMENTAL
RESEARCH ON NUCLEAR CONTAMINATION

Amsterdam / Paris, 5th February 1998 --- Greenpeace announced
today that it had offered British Nuclear Fuels Limited (BNFL),
the plutonium reprocessing company, the opportunity to fund
independent environmental research into the effects of nuclear
contamination. 

In a letter to BNFL Chair John Guiness dated 3rd February,
Greenpeace offered that the money owed to BNFL by Greenpeace
should instead be donated to two French independent research
institutes, CRII-RAD and ACRO. A sum of 900,000 Ffr (plus
interest) would be made available immediately to the two
institutes upon agreement from BNFL.

Greenpeace was ordered by a French court to pay the sum to BNFL,
following a peaceful protest against a BNFL shipment of
vitrified high level nuclear waste from Europe to Japan in 1995.
Greenpeace believes that handing over supporters' money to the
plutonium company is immoral and, although agreeing to pay, it
would prefer the money to go to scientific research institutes. 

"Our offer to BNFL is genuine. The worldwide reprocessing
industry, including BNFL's Sellafield plant, is the largest
source of radioactivity entering the environment", said Shaun
Burnie of Greenpeace. "In the interests of public health and in
order to provide a better understanding of the risks of
radioactive pollution, BNFL should agree to this offer".

In 1995, before the Pacific Pintail left the French port of
Cherbourg, Greenpeace sailed one of its vessels, the Moby Dick,
into the harbour to protest the shipment. In an attempt to
prevent Greenpeace's protest, BNFL obtained a legal injunction
from the Court of Cherbourg against the environmental
organisation. Three Greenpeace offices, France, Germany and
International in Amsterdam, were identified as violating the
injunction and they were ordered by the court to pay 300,000 Ffr
each. Greenpeace appealed and lost, and finally sought redress
in the French Supreme Court, where their appeal was turned down.

In the past year, CRII-RAD and ACRO have both been active
research institutes, investigating radioactive contamination
around the La Hague plutonium reprocessing plant in Normandy,
France. Contamination of water, sediments and seafood by
radioactive isotopes such as iodine-129, cobalt-60, strontium-90
and plutonium has been detected by these institutes in 1997. The
research was commissioned by Greenpeace.

The two research institutes have agreed in principle, pending a
decision from BNFL. If Greenpeace's offer is accepted by BNFL,
the two institutes would receive equal amounts of 450,000 Ffr
(plus accrued interest) to be used to further their research
about artificial radioactivity both in France and
internationally. 

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