(The following article appeared in the August 22-28 issue of Rouge, weekly newspaper of the Revolutionary Communist League (LCR), French section of the Fourth International. The translation is by Intercontinental Press. l
The dirty tricks by agents of the DGSE [General Directorate for Foreign Securityl against the Greenpeace antinuclear campaign again focuses attention on the question of the future of the Pacific Experimentation Center on [the French Pacific colony of] Mururoa, and more generally on the French presence in the South Pacific.
The Pacific Experimentation Center (CEP) was established by the French government in 1963 to replace the nuclear site at Reggane in Algeria, which became unusable when Algeria gained its independence.
The first nuclear explosion on the Mururoa atoll took place in 1966. Since then, year after year there has been a steady stream of nuclear explosions at the two nuclear sites of Mururoa and Fangataufa, 1,200 kilometers from the CEP's rear base at Papeete, Tahiti.
Until 1974, France carried out dozens of atmospheric nuclear explosions at these sites. Since 1975, the government has carried out underground nuclear explosions, always in secret.
Australian and New Zealand sources estimate that the French government has exploded 100 devices in the zone. In this regard it is worth noting that the number of nuclear tests
French H-bomb exploding over South Pacific has been considerably stepped up since 1981, under the presidency of [François| Mitterrand.
In the name of deterrence
French imperialism's so-called deterrence policy serves as the basis for the official justification for the nuclear tests, which are carried out with considerable ecological consequences for the peoples of the region. Maintaining nuclear forces in a state of readiness requires a permanent site for experimental explosions. That is why Mitterrand, the passionate advocate of deterrence, has spoken out loud and clear in this regard, despite the opposition from international public opinion and numerous governments.
"I reiterate," Mitterrand stated on August 18, "that the nuclear tests in the Pacific will continue as long as they are deemed necessary for the country's defense by the French authorities and by them alone."
The presidential palace has an easy ride, knowing that there is a broad consensus of political forces spanning the spectrum from the right to the French Communist Party. This consensus challenges neither the "French" bomb nor even the French presence in the South Pacific, which is indispensable for maintaining and developing French imperialism's policy of nuclear deterrence.
That policy requires blocking off the French colonial possessions in the South Pacific and their maritime approaches. That is why there are no less than four protective barriers at the explosion sites, allowing France to unilaterally establish exclusive control over a maritime zone reaching 122 kilometers from the atoll, in 1971.
and an air zone that goes out 926 kilometers. International law fixes the limit of territorial waters at 12 miles, that is, 22 kilometers.
This unconscionable violation of international law has been denounced by the states in the region and the ecology and peace movements.
Contempt for people
Following a strong international campaign of protests against French atmospheric nuclear testing in June-July 1973 - in which the French military waged a naval battle against ships like the Greenpeace III, a New Zealand frigate, and a pleasure boat called the Fri with General La Bollardière on board, and during which massive boycotts against France were organized by unions in Britain and Australia - President [Georges] Pompidou decided to carry out nuclear tests underground. Behind the accusations about the risks of atmospheric pollution, the outlines could be seen of the debate on the merits of the French nuclear strike force. The French state hoped thereby to calm things down.
But after 10 years of underground nuclear experiments, there is still strong fear among surrounding populations over the geological consequences and the risks of pollution from the nuclear wastes from the explosions. The short-sighted explanations asserting that the CEP's activities are inoffensive do not speak to the eventual long-term consequences for the region.
And that does not reckon with "accidents." In March 1981, a typhoon ripped off the asphalt layer holding nuclear wastes and dis-
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persed them. Since then, the wastes have been placed in containers. But no one has yet discovered a container that can resist marine pressures or earthquakes over the course of many decades.
If the wastes are buried, that provides little security since the Mururoa atoll has become a real Swiss cheese and is sinking into the sea.
In response to the claims by observer missions, such as Haroun Tazieff's in 1981, that there was no danger to the local populations, the movements opposing nuclear tests in the Pacific have wisely responded: "If nuclear tests are carried out in complete safety, why not hold them in Tokyo, Paris, or Washington?"
In addition to directly threatening the environment, the French government is shamelessly sneering at the rights of people to self-determination. It ignores the protests of the 14 member countries of the South Pacific Forum, which favor the adoption of a treaty to make the zone nuclear free, with the participants pledging "not to possess, test, or use nuclear weapons," while leaving it to each government to decide on "the transit or docking of nuclear-powered or armed ships."
On that basis the last session of the South Pacific Forum, held August 5 and 6, 1985, in Rarotonga, in the Cook Islands, decided to present a resolution to the United Nations during the debate on revision of the general treaty on nuclear nonproliferation, which is expected to take place in September.
However limited such initiatives by the governments of the region may be, they are indicative of the rise of a sense of exasperation among the peoples of the region in the face of the contempt Paris has shown toward their demands of sovereignty and for cessation of the nuclear experiments.