Pressure up on France over nuclear tests

Pressure up on France over nuclear tests

SYDNEY (AFP): Japan and Australia stepped up their war of
words with France yesterday after it shrugged off a New Zealand
threat to go to the international court over its planned South
Pacific nuclear test program.

Japanese Foreign Minister Yohei Kono warned France's decision
to resume nuclear tests next month might harm bilateral links.

"France is one of the European countries which have a long
relationship with Japan," he told reporters. "Since Japan and
France have enjoyed good relations up to now, it would be
regrettable if a problem such as this were to harm the ties.

But he added: "The nuclear problem is not something that can
be ignored."

Australian Prime Minister Paul Keating hit back at a personal
attack on him by the right wing newspaper Le Figaro, saying it
showed contempt for Australian values and adding: "Maybe the
French should have a good look at themselves."

In an article underscoring the bitterness of both sides in the
nuclear debate, Le Figaro said Keating's recent attacks on France
were motivated by a "fetishistic hatred" of France and a bad
conscience over "ethnic cleansing" of Australia's indigenous
population.

A spokesman for Keating dismissed the article as "offensive,
inaccurate and irrelevant." He said it was "a vindictive response
by a right wing newspaper to the obvious international
disapproval of the French government's decision".

Le Figaro editor Franz-Olivier Giesbert accused Keating of
turning the nuclear issue into a broader anti-French campaign for
political reasons.

"One is left speechless when faced with the fetishistic hatred
of your government towards us", he said, claiming Keating's
ulterior motive was that he wanted Australia to "dominate the
South Pacific".

The prime minister's spokesman referred to Keating's well-
known love of French culture and art for which he is frequently
lampooned by Australian cartoonists and columnists, saying: "To
suggest that he hates France would surprise most Australian
journalists."

France has made clear it was undaunted by continuing
international pressure to stop the tests going ahead by
dismissing as domestic politicking New Zealand's threat to go to
the International Court of Justice in The Hague.

A French Foreign Ministry spokesman said both sides had to
consent to take a dispute to the International Court and in the
case of France there was no such agreement.

France's European Affairs Minister Michel Barnier said "the
internal political motives" of Australia and New Zealand had to
be taken into account in their agitation.

Gaston Flosse, leader of French Polynesia where the tests will
be conducted, and close ally of President Jacques Chirac,
meantime gave an assurance that France would not bring forward
its first nuclear test to this month.

Australian Foreign Minister Gareth Evans said last week he
believed France might start the test series as early as this
week.

But Flosse, just back from a tour of four Pacific nations to
explain France's position, said there would be no experimental
nuclear blasts at Mururoa Atoll during the Pacific Games in
Papeete from Aug. 12 to Aug. 26.