Issued by: Ministry of Foreign Affairs
The South African Government objects to and deplores the nuclear test explosion which was conducted by the Government of France on the Mururoa Atoll on 5 September 1995.
It had been the South African Government's hope that France would heed international concern about their decision to abandon the moratorium on nuclear tests and to resume their testing programme in the South Pacific.
We are deeply concerned about the potential negative effects of underground nuclear testing on the environment. We reaffirm our solidarity with the States in the South Pacific and will continue to support their strong opposition to the resumption of the French tests in their region.
The South African Government firmly believes that the French test is in contradiction with the agreement on "Principles and Objectives for Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament", which were adopted by consensus at the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review and Extension Conference. In that agreeement, which France helped to negotiate, the nuclear-weapon states undertook to exercise utmost restraint with respect to nuclear testing pending the conclusion of a Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) in 1996.
The French test is also of particular concern coming as it does during sensitive negotiations for a CTBT in the Conference on Disarmament (CD) in Geneva. This explosion is furthermore in contrast with the announcements made in the context of the CD negotiations by several of the nuclear-weapon states regarding the acceptance of the proposal to ban any nuclear weapon test explosion, or any other nuclear explosion, irrespective of its size.
South African diplomats and representatives have in international fora protested against the two chinese nuclear tests conducted so far this year, and also against the policy of the French Government to resume their nuclear testing. Work is also being done to bring a resolution on nuclear testing before the Fiftieth United Nations General Assembly.
We urge the Government of France, as well as the Government of China, to reconsider their nuclear tests and to join in a global moratorium. We believe that this latest test is a further step backward in the endeavours of the international community to ban nuclear testing. In addition South Africa also wishes to call on all the other nuclear-weapon states to maintain their commitment to their moratoria and to continue to "exercise utmost restraint".
ISSUED BY THE MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS PRETORIA 6 SEPTEMBER 1995