1 February 2001
Kia ora, for those of you following the BMD/NMD saga, we've just received the following excerpt from a Radio Australia
broadcast ... given the US missiles raining down on Kwajalien for so many years, guess the Admiral felt it safer to keep
quiet.
Radio Australia - 1 Feb 01
Pacific admiral questioned over missile defence shield America's top Pacific admiral has side-stepped concern over
whether one of the unintended consequences of Washington's planned missile defence systems would be radioactive fall-out
on Pacific nations.
The US Navy's Pacific Commander, Admiral Dennis Blair, was addressing the Pacific Leaders Conference in Hawaii on the
strategic situation in the region.
Nauru's ambassador to the United Nations, Vince Clodumar, said his country was concerned the so-called National Missile
Defence System would allow the US to shoot down incoming ballistic missiles as far from America as possible.
Mr Clodumar said the interception point in some cases could be over the north Pacific and it was certainly not in the
best interests of the region.
He questioned whether the problem was among the reasons why the United States had not signed the protocols of the South
Pacific Nuclear Free Zone treaty..
Admiral Blair declined to debate the issue. =XXX (15:12:32 AEST)
Peace Movement Aotearoa the national networking peace group PO Box 9314, Wellington, Aotearoa / New Zealand.
tel +64 4 382 8129, fax 382 8173, website Internet Peace Gateway