Donald M. Payne: “as a member of the International Relations Committee, I question the invitation to French President Jacques Chirac's…”

“as a member of the International Relations Committee, I question the invitation to French President Jacques Chirac's address to the joint session of Congress on tomorrow. I am strongly opposed to any nuclear tests in the South Pacific. The French have already conducted a total of 6 nuclear tests. They have directly violated international law. The United States has ratified Conventions and Comprehensive Test Ban Treaties. Chirac's tests are contradictory to the codes outlined in the ``Principles and Objectives for Disarmament.'' This was adopted by the 1995 Review and Extension Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. We are living in a post-cold-war era. The United States and its allies have made a commitment to nuclear non-proliferation. France has breached the contract by not adhering to the moratorium. On June 13, 1995, President Jacques Chirac ordered a series of nuclear tests in the South Pacific. This has outraged members of the international community. Chirac is endangering the land on and above the French Polynesia's coral atolls. They have conducted approximately 187 nuclear detonations since 1966. Radioactive materials from their tests have caused environmental damage. The coral reefs in the sea and the bordering islands have been affected by the nuclear explosions. Nuclear proliferation will not be tolerated in this post-cold war era.”