Asked the Parliament ”a
guarantee for the non- entering of material for reprocessing”,
and the inclusion of such guarantee within the nuclear
agreement. “This
is the first governmental opposition to the entering of
australian spent nuclear fuel”, said Raúl Montenegro,
President of FUNAM. Cofema is constituted by the provincial
ministers of the environment and the Federal Secretary of the
Environment. Their resolution was approved in Buenos Aires city
the 9 TH april 2002.
Second Milestone: the powerful federation of Physicians
from the great Buenos Aires, with a constituency of more than 6,
000 physicians, clearly rejected. The entering of Australian
radioactive waste into Argentina. Their resolution was signed
last week (11 april) by Dr. Jorge Manfredi (President) and Dr.
Augusto Fulgenzi (Vice-President).
Córdoba and Buenos Aires (Argentina), Sydney and Adelaide
(Australia), Paris (France), April 18th, 2002.- FUNAM,
the ‘Environment defense foundation’ of Argentina, announced
“two milestones in the battle against the sending of
Australian nuclear waste to Argentina”.
Psyscians against the entering
of radioactive waste.
The powerful Federation of Psysicians from the great Buenos
Aires, FEMECON, rejected the entering of Australian nuclear
waste into Argentina. Such federation has a constituency of more
than 7,000 physicians in the great Buenos Aires. After
mentioning the risks of aerial accident and terrorist attack
over the Atomic Center of Ezeiza (the site were the conditioning
will take place), they asked the government and the parliament
not to approve the Nuclear Agreement between Australia and
Argentina. The resolution was signed by Dr. Jorge Manfredi,
President, and Dr. Augusto Fulgenzi, Vice-President. According
Dr. Raul Montenegro, president of FUNAM, “this resolution is a
milestone in the social struggle against the import of
Australian radioactive waste”.
All the provincial governments
and even the Federal Secretary of the Environment reject the
entering of Australian radioactive waste into Argentina.
"The
second milestone come from the government”, said Raul
Montenegro. “The Federal Council of the Environment in
Argentina (COFEMA) asked the Parliament “new provisions”
within the Nuclear Agreement. They proposed a “guarantee for
the non-entering of material for reprocessing”. According Dr.
Raul Montenegro “COFEMA introduced an innovative approach. The
continuity of the contract, but without import of Australian
spent nuclear fuel”. COFEMA is constituted by provincial
Ministers of the environment, and the Federal Secretary of the
Environment. They approved this resolution the 9th
April in Buenos Aires city. “Prior to the meeting of COFEMA we
worked hard for promoting such decision. We contacted Octavio
Pérez Pardo from the Federal Secretary of the Environment, and
we noticed him about the position we have within the coalition
against the import of Australian nuclear waste”, said Raul
Montenegro. Such coalition has 70 NGOs and networks from all
over Argentina and Latin America.
FUNAM and many other NGOs are
advising the Parliament.
FUNAM
and many other institutions were invited by the Chamber of
Deputies in Argentina for analyzing the Nuclear Agreement.
"At least two Commissions will analyze the issue in the
following days", said Raul Montenegro. "The Commission
on Science and Technology, leaded by Deputy Lilia Puig de
Stubrin, and the Commission of International Affairs, headed by
Deputy Jorge A. Escobar”. FUNAM will distribute the document
they published “for enlightening the work of the Commissions”.
According Raul Montenegro “most of the Deputies know the true.
Both the contract and the agreement infringes our Constitution.
We are providing them with information about civilian and
environmental risks vis-a-vis accidents and aerial terrorism.
Such risks have been widely covered by media. The expected site
for processing, the Ezeiza Atomic Center, is located near the
most active international airport of Argentina”.
Protest against the import of Australian nuclear waste.
The 12th April hundreds of people protested against
the import of Australian nuclear waste in Ezeiza neighbor. In
talking at the meeting Raul Montenegro described the risks of
aerial accidents and terrorism. “I used the data provided by
WISE Paris. For most of the people it was a shock. Even to day
the Atomic Ezeiza Center is a potential Chernobyl. They store
spent nuclear fuel from local reactors. If the deal with ANSTO
don’t change, more hazards will be added in the future.
Several years ago Argentina suffered two great terrorists
attacks. We are in their list. Why to increase civilian and
environmental risks?. These hundreds of people protesting in
Ezeiza clearly said ‘no’ to such risks”.
