Fundación para la defensa del ambiente. www.funam.org.ar

About FUNAM

Join us

Campaigns

Achievements

News' desk

Accusations

Your proposals

Publications

FUNAM is non-governmental organization (NGO) that links both people and
institutions towards a sustainable development.

Environment Defense Foundation
(FUNAM) has consultative status at United Nations' Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).

FUNAM is Global 500
Award from United Nations

The Death Ship: Yesterday FUNAM presented penal charges against the President of CNEA and other public officials demanding that they be investigated for possibly failing to fulfill their duties, as they were responsible for enforcing article 41 of the Constitition which forbids the entrance of radioactive waste into the country, and they failed to do so." Now two other ships with MOX, plutonium-uranium fuel would be next". The need of an international coalition against radioactive shipments.

There was also a request for the public prosecutor to investigate "if the members of the board of directors of CNEA are guilty of condoning a crime-when they revindicated the passage of the ship Pacific Swan, -when they minimized the risks and -when they failed to consider that the entrance of the ship into Argentine waters was illegal.

Cordoba and Buenos Aires (Argentina) and Santiago (Chile), January 16, 2001.- Yesterday, Environment defense foundation (FUNAM) presented important accusations against high officials of the National Commission of Atomic Energy (CNEA), and the Regulatory Nuclear Authority (ARN) in the Attorney General's Office No 1 of the Federal Court in Cordoba.

The Attorney General must investigate if the president of CNEA, Aldo Ferrer and other members of that institution, and the directors of ARN "are guilty of failing to fulfill their duties as public officials when they did not respect and did not enforce Article 41 of the Constitution which forbids the entrance of radioactive waste into the country".

The Biologist Raul Montenegro asked the Attorney General to investigate "if Article 248 of the Penal code was violated". FUNAM also demanded the investigation of Robert Ornstein and other members of CNEA "who may have condoned a crime when they publicly revindicated the passage of the Pacific Swan even if it was done indirectly. They minimized the risks to the point of absurdity, and they failed to declare that the passage of the ship through Argentine waters violated the Constitution. These public officials members of CNEA were closer to the UK, France and Japan than to the Argentine people". Condoning a crime is punishable by law according to Article 213 of the Penal Code.

Argentina opened its waters to future shipments. Plutonium would come next.

The Biologist Raul Montenegro indicated that the hesitant attitude of the National Government, "opened Argentina's exclusive economic zone to more than 80 radioactive shipments"."Fortunately" he added, "the legal system was quicker and more responsible than the office of the Chancellor and other national entities. The court ordered the government to forbid the entrance of the Pacific Swan into Argentine waters and this is an important precedent".

Montenegro warned that in the near future "two new ships would sail from France, this time with plutonium and uranium. Both would carry radioactive fuels called MOX made with uranium 235 and plutonium 239. Plutonium is one of the most toxic of the radioactive materials made by humans. We must remember that plutonium is used to make nuclear weapons". "As before their route is unknown. If they decide to use the South African coast, we will support the claim of En-route citizens' groups and NGOs against the passage of the Pacific Teal and Pacific Pintail. Nevertheless it is time to build an alliance between all us, citizens and NGOs, and to work together both in North and South, East and West. Even if a drop is small, a drop with another drop make a rain. We can use the same strategy".

FUNAM said that even if in this case MOX is not waste "plutonium makes them extremely dangerous and furthermore, sensitive to terrorist acts". Even if both ships "decide to use the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa, it is the responsibility of the government of Argentina "to declare them hazardous; to consider its passage as not innocent under the framework of the Convention of the Law of the Seas, and to forbid its entrance to our exclusive economic zone. Just in case. Let's hope that this time the government instead of trying to make a good impression on the UK, France and Japan decides to work for the Argentine people."

The Pacific Swan Now Threatens the Pacific.

FUNAM recalled that the British ship "carries 80 tones of radioactive waste which will continue to be highly dangerous for 1000 to 2 000 centuries and in spite of the optimistic statements made by some of CNEA's officials "the ship can have accidents and it could even sink, and the fact is that its containers are not as sturdy as their manufacturers state. They indicate that these containers can withstand 8 hours at a depth of 15 meters but they do not explain what would happen if they sank in deep waters and could not be retrieved. Edwin Lyman, of the University of Princeton, had already warned that these are sensitive to corrosion. Even if they are vitrified, the waste could be released and they would contaminate the seas for thousands of years'.

This material can be used. Please, mention author and source. We will appreciate if you can send copy of the published material to funam@funam.org.ar. Many thanks.