15th July 2002

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British Ambassador misses the point

Fuel is dirty by-product of dirty industry

Sinn Fein spokesperson on the Environment, Arthur Morgan TD has labeled the British Ambassador's `assurances' surrounding the transportation of nuclear fuel from Japan to Britain as being ``as convincing as the original forged safety records that necessitated the return of this fuel from Japan in the first place''.

Deputy Morgan said: ``The reality is that Britain's nuclear industry has an absolutely appalling safety record. It has only been by pure fluke that there hasn't been a serious accident at Sellafield to date. Ivor Roberts assurances sound about as convincing as the original forged safety records that necessitated the return of this fuel from Japan in the first place.

``The amount of precautions and security being put in place according to Mr. Roberts letter to the national media today, confirms that this material is indeed highly unstable and potentially lethal. Whether the plutonium is suitable for making nuclear bombs or not is irrelevant and misses the point. It is the plutonium itself that is dangerous. The transportation of this material is totally unnecessary - and is just a dirty by-product of a dirty industry.''

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