France, which had raised the ire of many nations by going ahead with its underground nuclear testing programme from September last, may have to face some more music. Reportedly, the atomic tests werenot all that safe as the French had vociferously proclaimed. Radioactive elements -iodine 131, cesium and tritium - are said to haveleaked into the Pacific Ocean as aconsequence of the tests near Mururoa Atoll in the South Pacific. French officials, however, insist thatthe quantities leaked were so small that they posed no threat to the environment. Greenpeace, the international environmental group, seized upon the disclosure and demanded that France "fully disclose the contamination data and immediately stop all further nuclear tests." Protestsfrom other countries like Japan to come clean on the radiation leakagesoon followed.
The international pressure seems to have aided the beleagueredFrench nation to come to a decisionabout its nuclear programme. Aftermonths of facing diplomaticostracism for having carried out thetests, it finally announced an earlyhalt to the testing. The French movewas proclaimed in a broadcast byPresident Jacques Chirac on January29 at Paris.
The resumption of the final series of tests by France broke athree year international moratoriumon nuclear testing. it had only Chinaas an ally in activating tests of weapons of mass destruction. Defendinghis decision to continue the tests,Chirac said that though nuclearwespotiry may cause fear, "in analways dangerous world, it acts forus as a weapon of dissausion, aweapon in the service of peace."Meanwhile, China said that it wouldnot halt its underground nuclearblasts until a global test ban treatycomes into effect. Said Chen fan, aforeign ministry spokesperson onJanuary 30, "China has conducted avery limited number of nuclear testsand things will continue to remainthat way.