Doc. 9444

7 May 2002

Nuclear technologies and nuclear waste in the occupied territories of the Republic of Azerbaijan

Motion for a resolution

presented by Mr Rafael Huseynov and others

One of the consequences of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict has been the creation of uncontrolled nuclear zones on the land occupied by Armenian military forces, the Karabakh mountains and seven other regions of the Republic of Azerbaijan, causing serious danger for the whole of the South Caucasus region.

There are 29 radiation centres in occupied territory. Radiation and nuclear waste in this area has contaminated 80 000 hectares of agricultural land, 150 000 hectares of forest, 22 000 hectares of personal plots and two reservations.

The Armenian companies "Razdanmash", "Armavir", "Akopyan", "JacMacMetals" and "Vartaniol" transfer the nuclear technologies through the Nagorno Karabakh area to Iran and Iraq. The latter company is also involved in the process of modernising the "C-300" and "Typhoon" missiles in the occupied territory.

The laboratories of the St. Petersburg Physics Institute, Moscow's Institute on Nuclear Technologies Kurchatov and the Minsk Nuclear Physics Institute are working in the Karabakh mountains. The nuclear waste from these laboratories and the Armenian nuclear power station "Metsamor" has been buried in special barrels in the districts of Almaly, Kolatag and Seidbeyli in the Karabakh mountainous region.

The "Union Atomic Garbage Plc.", an atomic waste disposal contractor based in the Bahamas, has built concrete nuclear waste burial pits in the Karabakh mountains.

Approximately half of the area of the occupied Djebrail region of Azerbaijan was leased out to Iranian citizens. Nuclear waste is buried in the eastern part of this region, and 219 square kilometres are covered by high radiation. Part of that region close to Iran (93 square kilometres) has been let for ten years to the Iranian border forces.

The nuclear threat to the region also appeared as a result of the use by Armenians of nuclear warheads during the occupation of the Kalbajar region of Azerbaijan in 1993, and the experts' opinion is that this contaminated zone can be rectified in twenty-five years, at the least (Microbiology Institute of the Academy of Sciences of the Russian Federation, "Messenger" 1997, November 14).

The forest zone of 280 square kilometres of the occupied Lachin region of Azerbaijan was let to American citizen G. Ohanyan, who has built a munitions factory in this area. The 1996 report of the Armenian Institute on Toxicology shows the 320 square kilometres of agricultural land in the Lachin region transformed into a zone of mass destruction.

The increase of nuclear weapons, nuclear technologies and nuclear waste in the occupied territories of the Republic of Azerbaijan, which is outside international control, represents a serious obstacle to the future peace and stability of the Caucasus and a real danger of larger catastrophes.

The Assembly considers that the existence of unlawful zones in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan creates real nuclear danger for the whole of the Caucasus.

The Assembly urges the Armenian authorities to stop the escalation of nuclear danger in the region.

The Assembly calls on the member states of the Council of Europe to refrain from any nuclear co-operation with Armenia and Iran creating radiation zones on the occupied areas of Azerbaijan.

The Assembly therefore asks its Political Affairs Committee and Committee on the Environment and Agriculture to consider the issue presented and to draft a recommendation on it.

Signed :¹

Huseynov R., Azerbaijan, LDR

Abbasov, Azerbaijan, EDG

Akçali, Turkey, EDG

Akgöncenç, Turkey, EDG

Aliyev G., Azerbaijan, EDG

Baciu, Roumanie, SOC

Billing, Sweden EPP

Bindig, Germany, SOC

Briane, France, EPP

Budisa, Croatia, LDR

Ceder, Belgium, NR

Čekuolis, Lithuania, LDR

Cerrahoğlu, Turkey, EDG

Chapman, United Kingdom, EDG

Clerfayt, Belgium, LDR

Duka-Zólyomi, Slovakia, EPP

Elo, Finland, SOC

Engeset, Norway, EPP

Giertych, Poland, EDG

Glesener, Luxembourg, EPP

Gligoroski, "the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia", EPP

Gönül, Turkey, EPP

Goulet, France, EDG

Gubert, Italy, EPP

Gülek, Turkey, SOC

Gürkan, Turkey, SOC

Haack, Germany, SOC

Hajiyeva, Azerbaijan, EPP

Høie, Norway, EPP

Hooper, United Kingdom, EDG

Hordies, Belgium, NR

Huseynov A., Azerbaijan, EDG

Ilaşcu, Romania, NR

Isohookana-Asunmaa, Finland, LDR

Kestelijn–Sierens, Belgium, LDR

Kilclooney, United Kingdom, EPP

Kostenko Y., Ukraine, EDG

Kostytsky, Ukraine, EPP

Kovalev S., Russia, LDR

Kresák, Slovakia, LDR

Landsbergis, Lithuania, EDG

Lekberg, Sweden, SOC

Libicki, Poland, EDG

Lloyd, United Kingdom, SOC

Magnusson, Sweden, SOC

Martínez Casañ, Spain, EPP

Meelak, Estonia, NR

Mutman, Turkey, SOC

Nessa, Italy, EPP

Onur, Germany, SOC

Paegle, Latvia, EPP

Pangalos, Greece, SOC

Pellicini, Italy, EDG

Pintat Rossell, Andorra, LDR

Piscitello, Italy, LDR

Pollozhani,"the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia", EDG

Popescu, Ukraine, SOC

Prisăcaru, Romania, SOC

Ragnarsdóttir, Iceland, EDG

Rakhansky, Ukraine, UEL

Rigoni, Italy, EPP

Sağlam, Turkey, EPP

Seyidov S., Azerbaijan, EDG

Shakhtakhtinskaya, Azerbaijan, EDG

Skarbøvik, Norway, EPP

Škrabalo, Croatia, LDR

Stoisits, Austria, SOC

Telek, Turkey, EDG

Tepshi, Albania, EPP

Tirelli, Italy, LDR

Tokić, Bosnia and Herzegovina, SOC

Topalli, Albania, EPP

Tudor, Romania, NR

Vanoost, Belgium, SOC

Vos, Netherlands, LDR

Wilkinson, United Kingdom, EDG

Yürür, Turkey, EDG

______________________

       SOC: Socialist Group

      EPP: Group of the European People’s Party

      EDG: European Democratic Group

      LDR: Liberal, Democratic and Reformers’ Group

      UEL: Group of the Unified European Left

      NR: not registered in a group