New Delhi
19 April 2006
As the world grapples with Iran's nuclear programme, nine former
environment ministers from Europe and Russia have raised doubts about the relevance
of nuclear power and expressed concern about the inherent risk of proliferation. Citing
India as a case in point, they have sought reform of the International Atomic Energy
Agency as part of the overall United Nations reform process.
In their letter to United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan and IAEA Director General
Mohamed El Baradei, they express their "concern over the conflicting and outdated
mandate" of the IAEA. The letter comes ahead of the 20th anniversary of the Chernobyl
disaster. The nuclear reactor at Chernobyl blew up on 26 April 1986 killing scores of
people. It remains the world's worst civil nuclear disaster.
"The current Iranian nuclear crisis, which raises serious concerns within the
international community, is a timely reminder of the contradictory remit of the IAEA,
which has proved impotent in preventing the conversion of other "peaceful" nuclear
programmes into weapon manufacture in countries such as India, Pakistan and North
Korea," they wrote earlier this month.
The signatories, all former ministers of environment, are: Sergiy Kurykin (Ukarine); Victor
Danilov-Danilian (Russia); Anatolii Dorofeev (Belarus); Edo Ronchi (Italy); Svend Auken
(Denmark); Ms Magda Alvoet (Belgium); Ivan Dejmal (Czech Republic); Ms Satu Hassi
(Finland); and Ms Dominique Voynet (France.) Also endorsing the letter is British Member
of Parliament and former environment minister Michael Meacher.
"Nuclear power is no longer necessary: We now have numerous renewable technologies
available to guarantee the right to safe, clean and cheap energy .... Increasing the share
of nuclear power only exacerbates the already too great risk of nuclear weapons
proliferation .... Nuclear power is a technology of the past, and it poses unacceptable
risks to the future of life on this planet," they observe.
"The IAEA itself recently conducted a public opinion poll, which delivered a strong
message: the majority of people across 18 countries oppose the expansion of the
nuclear power industry," they assert. Certain environmental organisations have echoed
similar sentiments and questioned the efficacy of the international community in taking
suitable steps to ensure non-proliferation.
"Nuclear reactors in India, Pakistan, Israel and North Korea have produced nuclear
materials, which were used to make nuclear weapons .... Declarations by the G-8 and
others to restrict the spread of nuclear material were shown to be as meaningless as the
United States granted nuclear technology to India just this year," they have observed in
a similar petition.
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