French intransigence

Recently there has been an international outcry over France's decision to resume nuclear testing. Some of France's closest allies and other nuclear powers have condemned the move.

Nevertheless, Paris said the underground tests in the South Pacific will go ahead from September onwards.

Hours after French President Jacques Chirac announced his decision Tuesday, Japanese Foreign Minister Yohei Kono told his French counterpart by telephone that the decision "betrayed" the trust of non-nuclear states.

France signed a treaty with New Zealand in 1985 allowing the Rainbow Warrior, a ship from the environmental group, Greenpeace, free access to the South Pacific to monitor its nuclear testing.

With that, Paris gave its word on a nuclear testing moratorium, only to breach it later. French secret agents then blew up the Rainbow Warrior in Auckland Harbor.

So what action can be taken against this French intransigence? "For one, all nations of the world can halt any form of military cooperation with France until it ceases all nuclear testing.

The harsh fact now is that France is a security threat to the world.

At a time when the world is striving hard for peace, France is sending a dangerous message to countries which are toying with the idea of developing nuclear weapons themselves.

A bad example has been set because renegade nations are now seeing a nuclear weapons-holding state openly flouting international concern.

France's actions will certainly not augur well for international efforts to rein in North Korea, and for that reason Japan has every reason to be concerned.

Also, if a signatory to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty can openly disregard the treaty, can the international community justify its action against non-signatories like India and Pakistan, which have openly declared their nuclear ambitions?

The French have shown that if a country is big and strong enough, it can do things its own way. In the post-Cold War world however, this is dangerous thinking.

-- The Nation, Bangkok