UN General Assembly
1995

refer of course to the French resumption this year of nuclear testing at Mururoa. It is probably because we are far removed from metropolitan centres that there is a tendency for certain people to look at the Pacific as the “ideal desert” for nuclear testing, as one French official recently put it. Often overlooked too is the fact that all island nations spread out across the length and breadth of the Pacific are connected by this mighty ocean. Nuclear damage to one island nation poses immense long-term implications and dangers to others in the region. As people who are living the nightmarish experience of nuclear testing, we cannot and will not accept the weak argument that the current tests are safe for any of our Pacific neighbours and friends. Nor can we accept the continuation of this irresponsible practice in the region. We have denounced its resumption from the beginning and will continue to do so. We joined in support of New Zealand’s case against France in the International Court of Justice. We took this