Paris set to compensate victims of its nuke tests
Güncelleme Tarihi:
AFP
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Mart 25, 2009 00:00
PARIS - Following years of denial, Paris decides to compensate those who suffered due to its nuclear testing in various locations. France carried out 17 nuclear tests in Algeria in February 1966 including four atmospheric trials in the Sahara of southern Algeria, while more than 193 tests took place near the French Polynesian islands of Mururoa
France announced yesterday it will compensate 150,000 victims of nuclear testing carried out in the 1960s in French Polynesia and Algeria, after decades of denying its responsibility.
An initial sum of 10 million euros ($14 million) has been set aside for military and civilian staff as well as local populations who fell ill from radiation exposure, Defence Minister Herve Morin said.
"It's time for France to be true to its conscience," Morin told Le Figaro newspaper.
"By refusing to consider the health consequences that these tests may have had, we allow irrational fears, rumours and even fantasies to run wild," he said.
The move was welcomed by French veterans who had been waging a long campaign for the state to recognize its responsibility toward ageing and sick staff of its nuclear program.
"This is a step forward that we are greeting with satisfaction," said Michel Leger, president of the Association of Veterans of Nuclear Tests, or AVEN.
One of the world's five declared nuclear powers, France carried out a total of 210 nuclear tests in Algeria and in the Pacific from 1960 to 1996.
Leger recalled that he was "wearing shorts and a hat, lying on the ground without protective eyewear, his arms folded over his eyes" when an above-ground test took place 40 kilometers away, in southern Algeria.
"Afterwards, there was no medical checkup," said Leger, who now suffers from cardiovascular illnesses.
France carried out 17 nuclear tests in Algeria in February 1966 including four atmospheric trials in the Sahara of southern Algeria.
More than 193 tests
More than 193 tests took place near the French Polynesian islands of Mururoa and at Fangataufa until 1996 when president Jacques Chirac declared an end to the program.
Retired sailor Serge Vauley recounted that his crew was told to stand on the deck of the Foch aircraft carrier and "admire France's firepower" when the mushroom from nuclear tests in 1966 rose up to the Pacific sky.
Vauley, now 64 and one of the victims seeking compensation, suffers from respiratory problems and described having "holes the size of my fist" in his lungs, Le Figaro reported.
Refusing to acknowledge a direct link between the nuclear tests and the veteran's illnesses, the French government had long argued that it had done everything possible to minimize risks to personnel during testing.
Morin said that by offering compensation, the government was hoping to avoid long, drawn-out litigation.
A bill is to be presented in parliament next month that will set up a nine-member commission of physicians, led by a magistrate, who will examine individual claims for compensation. Veterans expressed concern however that the defence minister will have the final say on awarding compensation and said it remained unclear how the government would go about compensating native populations.
"These populations will have to prove that they lived there when the tests occurred," said Patrice Bauveret, of the veterans' group. Morin said the government would also lift the veil of secrecy surrounding its nuclear program as it considers the compensation claims. The military archives of the nuclear program have been opened and are being examined by two experts who are to submit a report in December on the environmental impact of the tests.
An initial sum of 10 million euros ($14 million) has been set aside for military and civilian staff as well as local populations who fell ill from radiation exposure, Defence Minister Herve Morin said.
"It's time for France to be true to its conscience," Morin told Le Figaro newspaper.
"By refusing to consider the health consequences that these tests may have had, we allow irrational fears, rumours and even fantasies to run wild," he said.
The move was welcomed by French veterans who had been waging a long campaign for the state to recognize its responsibility toward ageing and sick staff of its nuclear program.
"This is a step forward that we are greeting with satisfaction," said Michel Leger, president of the Association of Veterans of Nuclear Tests, or AVEN.
One of the world's five declared nuclear powers, France carried out a total of 210 nuclear tests in Algeria and in the Pacific from 1960 to 1996.
Leger recalled that he was "wearing shorts and a hat, lying on the ground without protective eyewear, his arms folded over his eyes" when an above-ground test took place 40 kilometers away, in southern Algeria.
"Afterwards, there was no medical checkup," said Leger, who now suffers from cardiovascular illnesses.
France carried out 17 nuclear tests in Algeria in February 1966 including four atmospheric trials in the Sahara of southern Algeria.
More than 193 tests
More than 193 tests took place near the French Polynesian islands of Mururoa and at Fangataufa until 1996 when president Jacques Chirac declared an end to the program.
Retired sailor Serge Vauley recounted that his crew was told to stand on the deck of the Foch aircraft carrier and "admire France's firepower" when the mushroom from nuclear tests in 1966 rose up to the Pacific sky.
Vauley, now 64 and one of the victims seeking compensation, suffers from respiratory problems and described having "holes the size of my fist" in his lungs, Le Figaro reported.
Refusing to acknowledge a direct link between the nuclear tests and the veteran's illnesses, the French government had long argued that it had done everything possible to minimize risks to personnel during testing.
Morin said that by offering compensation, the government was hoping to avoid long, drawn-out litigation.
A bill is to be presented in parliament next month that will set up a nine-member commission of physicians, led by a magistrate, who will examine individual claims for compensation. Veterans expressed concern however that the defence minister will have the final say on awarding compensation and said it remained unclear how the government would go about compensating native populations.
"These populations will have to prove that they lived there when the tests occurred," said Patrice Bauveret, of the veterans' group. Morin said the government would also lift the veil of secrecy surrounding its nuclear program as it considers the compensation claims. The military archives of the nuclear program have been opened and are being examined by two experts who are to submit a report in December on the environmental impact of the tests.