Seanad debates

Thursday, 27 November 2003

Address by Ms Nuala Ahern, MEP.

 

Senator Henry asked about nuclear proliferation. Ireland had a wonderful track record on the non-proliferation treaty years ago in the UN so her idea is an excellent one. What is going on in Russia would make one's hair stand on end, although the Senator obviously knows this. The trafficking in nuclear materials throughout eastern Europe and the East is frightening. Proliferation in south Asia and Iran is frightening. The next state to go nuclear will be Japan, which is a serious development. If Mr. Bush announces that the USA intends to develop strategic nuclear missiles, of course Japan will move in the same direction. We should be pulling back from the brink. It would be an excellent idea to do something about this under the Presidency. We should give a lead in the EU because although we talk about illegal trafficking, the EU trades in nuclear materials – we export them all over the world. We should stop doing that. How are we to deal with illegal trafficking of this material if we are providing the base technology for other countries to use, as has happened in Iran? It is obvious – we should not be trafficking in women, we should not be trafficking in heroin and we should certainly not be trafficking or trading in nuclear materials.

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