Daniel Akaka: “it is with a great sense of relief and hope that I rise today to comment on the announcement by French President Jacques…”

“it is with a great sense of relief and hope that I rise today to comment on the announcement by French President Jacques Chirac that France has concluded its nuclear weapons testing program for good and will close its nuclear testing center in French Polynesia. Like most people throughout the Pacific islands and Asia, the citizens of Hawaii were angered by the six underground nuclear explosions at Mururoa and Fangataufa atolls conducted by France. The threat to the environment and public health posed by the numerous blasts over the years is real and ongoing. This week, an article in the Washington Post documented French acknowledgement that radioactive materials have leaked into the sea surrounding the atolls. These reports confirm claims made by international organizations that French nuclear testing has weakened the coral atolls and vented radioactive materials into the Pacific. Regrettably, France has not allowed independent inquiry and verification at the test sites. The global outcry against the resumption of French nuclear testing has given renewed vigor to the drive for an international moratorium on nuclear testing and the completion of a comprehensive test ban treaty.”