Doc. 10420

24 January 2005

Appeal to the United Nations Organisation, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and other international organisations

Chernobyl Nuclear Power Station – a real threat of new accidents

Written Declaration No 360

This written declaration commits only the members who have signed it

The accident at the Chernobyl Nuclear power station was the largest and the most serious technogenic catastrophe in the entire human history.

Just for the period from 1 January 1999 to 1 January 2004 more than 600 000 persons – victims of the Chernobyl accident have died.

On 26 April 2005 we commemorate the 19^th anniversary of the accident. In the course of these years ‘’the Shelter’’ site has worn out. It will be urgent now to construct a new site ‘’the Confinement’’.

The first, the second and the third power blocks of the station contain nuclear fuel until this time. Actually, that means that these blocks are still functioning and remain to be hazardous nuclear facilities.

The failure to complete the depository to store and process the nuclear fuel is slowing down its extraction from blocks. This work is not under way because of inadequate funding on the part of the EBRD.

Such a situation creates a real threat of new accidents.

Signed (see overleaf)

Signed: ¹

RAKHANSKY, Anatoliy, Ukraine, UEL

ALIBEYLI, Gulamhuseyn, Azerbaijan, EDG

ALIYEV, Bakhtiyar, Azerbaijan, SOC

ARVELADZÉ, Giorgi, Georgia, NR

BOKERIA, Giorgi, Georgia, EDG

ÇAVUŞOĞLU, Mevlüt, Turkey, EDG

CHRISTODOULIDES, Doros, Cyprus, UEL

CILEVIČS, Boriss, Latvia, SOC

DRAGASSAKIS, Ioannis, Greece, UEL

EXNER, Václav, Czech Republic, UEL

IWIŃSKI, Tadeusz, Poland, SOC

KIRILOV, Evgeni, Bulgaria, SOC

KOX, Tiny, Netherlands, UEL

MOLLAZADE, Azim, Azerbaijan, LDR

OLIYNYK, Boris, Ukraine, UEL

PRIJMIREANU, Dumitru, Moldova, UEL

SEYIDOV, Samad, Azerbaijan, EDG

SØNDERGAARD, Søren, Denmark, UEL

VAKILOV, Vagif, Azerbaijan, EDG

WOHLWEND, Renate, Liechtenstein, EPP/CD

__________________________

Total = 20

¹        SOC: Socialist Group

      EPP/CD: Group of the European People’s Party

      LDR: Liberal, Democratic and Reformers’ Group

      EDG: European Democratic Group

      UEL: Group of the Unified European Left

      NR: not registered in a group