Primary Document

Minutes of 15/06/1995 - Provisional Edition

Nuclear testing

B4-0868, 0874, 0895, 0906 and 0930/95

Resolution on nuclear testing

The European Parliament,

- having regard to its resolutions on nuclear testing and on the Non- Proliferation Treaty (NPT)(1),

- having regard to its resolution of 5 April 1995 on the Conference on the extension of the Nuclear

Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) in New York from 17 April to 12 May 1995(2), calling on the Member States

to put every effort into bringing about the speediest possible conclusion of a Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty

(CTBT) at the Geneva Conference and to take joint action to this end under Article J.3 of the Treaty on

European Union,

- having regard to its call in that resolution to the Member States, pending the above mentioned joint action,

expressly to refrain from any nuclear testing,

A. whereas the recent Review and Renewal Conference of the NPT committed the nuclear powers to concluding

the negotiations for a CTBT at the Conference on Disarmament before the end of 1996,

B. whereas the United States, the Russian Federation and the UK are observing a moratorium on nuclear tests

initiated by France, while the People's Republic of China continued its nuclear testing programme only four days

after the Non-Proliferation Treaty was renewed indefinitely,

C. having regard to the announcement by the French Government that it will carry out a programme of eight

nuclear tests from September 1995 to May 1996 and its insistence that the decision is irrevocable, while at the

same time noting its reiteration that it will support the CTBT in 1996,

D. whereas the 15 member countries of the Pacific Forum and the Governments of Chile, Peru and Ecuador

have warned France of their opposition to the resumption of nuclear tests at Mururoa, and whereas the

Governments of New Zealand and Australia have already suspended military cooperation with France in

response to the decision,

1. Expresses its shock at the decision by the French President and urges France to reconsider it;

2. Condemns the continuing nuclear testing by the People's Republic of China and calls on its government to

join in the international moratorium on nuclear tests forthwith;

3. Warns that if nuclear powers breach the spirit or letter of the Nuclear Non- Proliferation Treaty, other states

are likely to follow suit;

4. Calls on the UK Government publicly to declare its own moratorium on nuclear testing;

5. Reiterates its call for joint action under Article J.3 of the Treaty on European Union with a view to the

conclusion of a CTBT before the end of 1996;

6. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, all the governments which

signed the NPT and the Chairman of the UN Conference on Disarmament in Geneva.

Source:

8 November, 2001