N U C L E A R W A S T E S H I P M E N T T O J A P A N
Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade
23 January 1998
Media Statement
For Immediate Release
Nuclear Shipment to Stay Away from NZ: McKinnon
"A weight off my mind" was Foreign Minister Dom McKinnon's reaction
to the announcement that a shipment of nuclear waste, which left
France on 21 January, would travel to Japan by the Panama Canal.
"We have made it very clear to the countries concerned that we want
such shipments to stay away from New Zealand," said Mr McKinnon.
"I am pleased that this time the route does not come near New Zealand
or other South Pacific countries."
Mr McKinnon said that new Zealand has been busy in international fora
on the nuclear waste issue since the passage of the Pacific Teal
through the Tasman Sea in early 1997.
"We were very pleased that agreement was reached last year to start
the process of making the Irradiated Nuclear Fuels Code (regulations
for transporting nuclear material) mandatory.
But we want greater transparency about future shipments, and more
certainly about liability for any accident. We will continue to
raise these issues internationally."
Contact: Jo Coughlan, Press Secretary, |