- Title: VARIOUS: CHINA CONDEMNED WORLDWIDE FOR LATEST NUCLEAR TESTS
- Date: 24th March 2015
- Summary: MANILA, PHILIPPINES (JUNE 8, 1996) (RTV) LV GREENPEACE VESSEL AT PIER, TYING ROPES SLV WORKERS FIXING CRANE, MOORING SHIP SCU XAVIER PASTOR, GREENPEACE OFFICIAL SPOKESMAN, SPEAKING ABOUT NUCLEAR TESTS (ENGLISH) TRANSCRIPT: PASTOR, "GREENPEACE CONDEMNS THAT NUCLEAR EXPLOSION AS WE HAVE BEEN CONDEMNING ANY NUCLEAR EXPLOSION BY ANY COUNTRY. WE THINK THAT THIS IS IN NO WAY OF CONTRIBUTING TO HAVE A NUCLEAR TEST PROHIBITION TREATY WHICH IS STRONG, WHICH IS POSITIVE THAT BANS EVERY NUCLEAR EXPLOSION BY ANY COUNTRY FOREVER. I DON'T THINK THIS IS A POSITIVE CONTRIBUTION FROM CHINA TO THE NEGOTIATION. THIS IS BASICALLY A WAY OF WEAKENING THOSE NEGOTIATIONS." CU BANNER HANGING ON BOAT "END ALL NUCLEAR WEAPONS TESTING" (ENGLISH) SCU PASTOR SPEAKING ABOUT GREENPEACE INVOLEMENT (ENGLISH) TRANSCRIPT: PASTOR, "AS FROM OUR OWN PERSPECTIVE OF THIS TRIP, WE BELIEVE THAT THIS IS REASON, AN EXTRA REASON FOR THIS BOAT TO PROCEED TOWARDS SHANGHAI AND TRY TO CONVEY TO THE CHINESE AUTHORITIES A PEACEFUL MESSAGE OF CONDEMNATION OF THIS TEST AND OF ANY OTHER TEST THEY MIGHT WANT TO MAKE IN THE FUTURE. WE ARE MORE COMMITTED THAN EVER TO SAIL TOWARDS SHANGHAI." LV WORKERS FIXING CRANE ON SHIP (2 SHOTS) Initials
- Embargoed: 6th July 2005 17:25
- Keywords:
- Location: MANILA, PHILIPPINES; BEIJING AND UNDISCLOSED LOCATION, CHINA AND CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA
- Country: China
- Topics: Environment,Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA72PIIEM6FP91O47UBGPC2SBZ5
- Aspect Ratio: 4:3
- Story Text: - INTRO: China has conducted a nuclear explosion at its desert test site and announced a moratorium from September after one more blast. The test has been condemned around the world.
------------------------------------------------------ China, the world's only nuclear power still conducting tests, carried out a nuclear explosion at its western desert site on Saturday (June 8). Foreign Ministry officials later announced a moratorium on testing from September after one final blast.
The test aroused a storm of comdemnation around the world with some leaders casting doubt on whether China had been sincere in its conditional offer just two days earlier to join the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT).
The blast on Saturday at the Lop Nor test site in the northwestern Xinjiang region was recorded at Chinese time 10.56 a.m. (0256 GMT) and created a shock that registered 5.7 on the Richter scale, Australian seismological centres reported.
"I can confirm that the Australian Geological Survey seismological centre has recorded a suspected underground nuclear explosion at Lop Nor at Xinjiang province," a spokesman for the Department of Foreign Affairs said.
Dr Ken Muirhead, of Australia's Geological Survey, said the blast was smaller than the biggest of the French nuclear tests last year but bigger than some of them.
"Before September this year, China will conduct another nuclear test to ensure the safety of its nuclear weapons," China's Foreign Ministry said.
"After that, China will exercise a moratorium on nuclear testing," the ministry said in a statement.
The latest test was the 44th nuclear explosion at Lop Nor, China's underground nuclear test site, since tests started there in 1964.
Greenpeace condemned China's latest test, just six hours before activists were due to sail from the Philippine capital Manila to Shanghai in China.
Greenpeace was to visit Shanghai to persuade China to stop nuclear testing.
"Greenpeace condemns that nuke explosion," spokesman Xavier Pastor told reporters after being informed of the test.
"We think this is no way of contributing to have a nuclear test prohibition treaty which is strong, which is positive, that bans every nuclear explosion by any country forever," he said. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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