NQ 87 DAE 17 June 1974
STATEMENT BY PRIME IaNISTER AFTER FRENCH NUCLEAR WEAPONS TEST
The Prime Minister, Mr Whitlam, said today that
the Australian Government had reason to believe that the
French Government had exploded a nuclear weapon device in the
atmosphere over Mururoa atoll today 17 June.
The Prime Minister said that it was a matter of
9 deep concern to the Australian Government that the French
Government had proceeded to yet another program of nuclear
testing in the Pacific, which was likely to lead to the
deposit of radio active fallout within Australian territory.
The feelings of the Australian Government and people against
these tests had been made kn~ own in the past in the clearest
way. Nothing had changed in the Australian attitude since
' I last year. The Prime Minister said: " The fact that this
further test has been held is all the more regrettable
because a new French Government is now in office, and
because I have sent a message to the new French President
expressing the sincere desire to develop relations between
our two Governments and peoples. These relations have been
regrettably affected during recent years by the dispute over
nuclear testing in the Paz-ific, which we had not sought but
which had become inevitable when our repeated protests were
consistently ignored."
The Australian Government had noted the French
Government's statements expressing an intention to cease
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atmospheric testing after the present series was completed.
As Senator Willesee had pointed out. these statements were
a step in the right direction, but the French Government
had not given the Australian Government any satisfactory
commitment that further atmospheric tests would not be
held. The new French Government could not claim to be in
ignorance of the strong feelings of the Australian people
that there should be no atmospheric test in the Pacific, or
indeed anywhere. 9
The Prime Minister recalled that on 22 June 1975
the International Court of Justice had made an order
granting to Australia interim measures of protection which
required France to refrain from conducting any further tests
which might lead to the deposit of radio active fallooat on
Australian soil. This order of the Court had been ignored by
France in 1975 and was now being ignored again. MIr ? 7hitlam
said that he had hoped that the French Government would abide
by this order and be prepared to co-operate in having this
continuing dispute resolved in a responsible mrainer by the
International Court in accordance with international law.
This had not proved to be the case. but the Prime Pinister
reaffirmed that, for its part, Australia would continue to
seek resolution of the dispute by the Court, and work vigorously
elsewhere for a complete cessation of nuclear weapons testing.