Doc. 8089

22 April 1998

Request to the “G-7” countries to undertake additional efforts towards financing activities to overcome the consequences of the Chernobyl disaster

Written Declaration No. 274

This written declaration commits only the members who have signed it

      On 26 April 1986 the catastrophe of the twentieth century, unprecedented in its scale and consequences, took place at Chernobyl nuclear power station. This catastrophe has taken hundreds of thousands of lives, doomed millions of people to suffering, and forced them to live in constant unease for their future, and the destiny of their children and generations to come.

      The problems caused by Chernobyl remain unresolved in Ukraine and are a threat to the whole of mankind. According to some calculations, the Chernobyl disaster will cost the world more than 1 trillion US$, including future consequences.

      Being aware of its responsibility before God, to its conscience and its people, Ukraine for the first time in history has refused to hold nuclear weapons.

      However, Ukraine is not alone able to resolve problems related to the objective “Shelter”, the restricted zone around 800 depots containing highly radioactive waste build in the first phase of the disaster.

      The urgency and importance of carrying out activities aimed at stabilising the “Shelter” installations was proved by an international programme for the transformation of “Shelter” into an ecologically safe system – the “Shelter Implementation Plan” that was agreed upon by Ukraine with the “G-7” countries in June 1997.

      However, the present state of “Shelter” is one of radiological and nuclear threat, because it is not hermetically sealed and does not exclude the possibility of interaction of its content with the environment and underground waters.

      We believe that thanks to the efforts of the “G7” governments and international organisations, the world community will undertake resolute measures aimed at eliminating as soon as possible the consequences of the greatest technological and ecological disaster in the history of mankind.

      With that aim in mind, we would like to ask the governments of the “G-7” :

- to provide stable financing of an international programme of transformation of “Shelter” into an ecologically safe system ;

      -       to envisage carrying out the military exercise “Sea-Breeze” not in the Black Sea but in the Chernobyl restricted zone of highly radioactive waste.

Signed¹:

Rakhansky, Ukraine, UEL

Brunetti, Italy, UEL

Carvalho, Portugal, UEL

Christodoulides, Cyprus, UEL

Frahm, Denmark, UEL

Glotov, Russia, UEL

Jirousova, Czech Republic, UEL

Kulbaka, Russia, UEL

Loulé, Greece, UEL

Marmazov, Ukraine, UEL

Myrvoll, Norway, UEL

Oliynik, Ukraine, UEL

Steolea, Romania, EDG

Vyvadil, Czech Republic, SOC

_____________________

Total = 14

¹        SOC: Groupe socialiste

      PPE/DC: Groupe du Parti populaire européen

      GDE: Groupe des démocrates européens

LDR: Groupe libéral, démocrate et réformateur

      GUE: Groupe pour la gauche unitaire européenne

      NI: non inscrit dans un groupe