' MINISTER F#R   FOREIGN AFFAIRS

/ m

NEWS RELEASE

No.

M80

Date

11 May 1 9 8 6

I NTERNATI ONAL.  ACTI ON ON NUCLEAR SAFETY

The M i n i s t e r  f o r  F o r e i g n  A f f a i r s *  Mr B i l l  H a y d e n z M . P . *

a n n o u n c e d  t o d a y  t h a t  A u s t r a l i a  had t a k e n  a c t i o n  t o  ~ .

p r o mo t e  t h e  c o n c l u s i o n  o f  an i n t e r n a t i o n a l  c o n v e n t i o n  on

n o t i f i c a t i o n  and e me r g e n c y  a s s i s t a n c e  i n t h e  e v e n t  o f

n u c l e a r  i n c i d e n t s .

A u s t r a l i a  was a l s o  p r o p o s i n g  t h e  i m m e d i a t e

e s t a b l i s h m e n t  by t h e  I n t e r n a t i o n a l  At o mi c  E n e r g y  Agency

o f  an e a r l y  w a r n i n g  me c h a n i s m.

Mr Hayden s a i d  t h e r e  was a l r e a d y  a r a n g e  o f

i n t e r n a t i o n a l  mecha ni s ms and g u i d e l i n e s  i n  t h e  a r e a  o f

n u c l e a r  s a f e t y  . The I n t e r n a t i o n a l  At o mi c  E n e r g y  Agency

( I AEA)  had do re a v a s t  amount  o f  wor k o v e r  t h e  y e a r s  i n

d e v e l o p i n g  n u c l e a r  s a f e t y  g u i d e l i n e s .  The s e  w e r e *  h o w e v e r *

a d v i s o r y  and n ot  b i n d i n g .

Mr Hayden we l c ome d t h e  communi que j o i n t l y  i s s u e d

on 9 May by t h e  S o v i e t  Go v e r n me n t  and t h e  D i r e c t o r - G e n e r a l

o f  t h e  I AEA*  Dr Hans B l i x *  r e p o r t i n g  t h a t  t h e  S o v i e t

Go v e r n me n t  and t h e  D i r e c t o r - G e n e r a l  had d i s c u s s e d :  "Ways of

f u r t h e r  i m p r o v i n g  n u c l e a r  power  s a f e t y . . .  as w e l l  as

i n t e r n a t i o n a l  me a s u r e s  wh i c h  may be u s e f u l l y  d e v e l o p e d  w i t h i n

t h e  f r a m e w o r k  of  t h e  I AEA i n  o r d e r  t o  m i n i m i s e  p o s s i b l e

c o n s e q u e n c e s  o f  n u c l e a r  power  a c c i d e n t s .  Bo t h p a r t i e s  n o t e d

t h a t  such me a s u r e s  may i n c l u d e  t h e  d e v e l o p m e n t  o f  a t i m e l y

w a r n i n g  mechani sm on r a d i o a c t i v i t y  r e l e a s e s  wh i c h  c o u l d  a f f e c t

a r e a s  bey ond n a t i o n a l  b o u n d a r i e s *  p r o v i s i o n  o f  i n f o r m a t i o n

on b a c k g r o u n d  l e v e l  o f  r a d i o a c t i v i t y  and t h e  i n t r o d u c t i o n

o f  p o s s i b l e  a d d i t i o n a l  t e c h n i c a l  me a s u r e s  i n  n u c l e a r

f a c i l t i e s  f o r  t h e  p r e v e n t i o n  o f  a c c i d e n t s  and r e d u c i n g  t h e i r

c o n s e q u e n c e s " .

2 . f

A u s t r a l i a / Â·  as a member of  t he IAEA Boar d of  G o v e r n o r s /

had s u p p o r t e d  t h e  e x p a n s i o n  i n r e c e n t  y e a r s  of  t h e  I AEA' s

n u c l e a r  s a f e t y  p r o g r a m s . I n  i t s  1987 budget  z t h e l AEA woul d

be a l l o c a t i n g  some SUS12. 5 m i l l i o n  t o n u c l e a r  s a f e t y

pr o g r a ms .

N e v e r t h e l e s s /  Mr Hayden s a i d  t h e  a c c i d e n t  at  t he

n u c l e a r  r e a c t o r  a t  C h e r n o b y l  ne a r  Ki ev i n the S o v i e t  Uni on

had d i s c l o s e d  s e r i o u s  i n a d e q u a c i e s  i n p r e s e n t  i n t e r s a t i o n a l

a r r a n g e m e n t s .  He c a l l e d  f o r  e a r l y  a c t i o n  t o  i mp r o ve

i n t e r n a t i o n a l  c o - o p e r a t i o n  i n t h e  event  of  n u c l e a r  a c c i d e n t s .

Mr Hayden s a i d  t h a t  t he main gaps wer e an e f f e c t i v e

e a r l y  wa r ni n g s y s t e m /  m u l t i - l a t e r a l  e m e r g e n c y . a s s i s t a n c e  a r r a n g e m e n t s

and t h e  absence o f  i n t e r n a t i o n a l  l e g a l  o b l i g a t i o n s  i n t h e s e  a r e a s .

Ther e had been p a s t  a t t e m p t s  t o d e v e l o p  an i n t e r n a t i o n a l

n u c l e a r  s a f e t y  c o n v e n t i o n .  A u s t r a l i a  had s u p p o r t e d  t h e s e  e f f o r t s

but t h e y  had not  r e c e i v e d  t h e  n e c e s s a r y  l e v e l  of  i n t e r n a t i o n a l

s u p p o r t .  Mr Hayden wel comed t h e  Tokyo Summi t ' s f i r m  a gr ee ment  on

t he need f o r  i n t e r n a t i o n a l  c o - o p e r a t i v e  a c t i o n  on n u c l e a r

s a f e t y .

Mr Hayden s a i d  t h a t  i t  was now c l e a r l y  u r g e n t  f o r  t h e

concept  of  an i n t e r n a t i o n a l  c o n v e r t  i on t o  be r e a c t i v a t e d .  The

i n t e r n a t i o n a l  communi t y s h o u l d  p e r s i s t  w i t h  t h i s  e f f o r t /

w h a t e v e r  t he c o m p l e x i t i e s /  u n t i l  a c o mp r e h e n s i v e  c o n v e n t i o n  on

bot h n o t i f i c a t i o n  and emr gency a s s i s t a n c e  i n  t h e  e v e n t  of

n u c l e a r  i n c i d e n t s /  had been c o n c l u d e d .

Mr Hayden e mpha si s ed t h a t  no more p i e c e - m e a l  measur es

would be a c c e p t a b l e  t o  i n t e r n a t i o n a l  o p i n i o n .

Mr Hayden announced t h a t  A u s t r a l i a  was t h e r e f o r e

a p p r o a c h i n g  i t s  f e l l o w  members of  t he IAEA Boar d of  Go v e r nor s

t o  pr opose a c t i o n  a t  t he B o a r d ' s  meet i ng i n V i e n n a  n e x t  month

t o  i n i t i a t e  t he c o n v e n i n g  o f  an i n t e r n a t i o n a l  c o n f e r e n c e  t o

n e g o t i a t e  a c o n v e n t i o n  on n o t i f i c a t i o n  and emer gency a s s i s t a n c e

i n t he e v e n t  of  n u c l e a r  i n c i d e n t s .

3 .

Mr Ha yden sa Ã¢ÂÂ  >  d t h a t z a s  t h e  n e g o t i v s t  i on o f  such ÃÂµ

c o n v e n t i o n  c o u l d  t a k e  some t i m e /  A u s t r a l i a  was a l s o  p r o p o s i n g

as an i n t e r i m  me a s u r e  t h a t  t h e  I AEA B o a r d  t a k e  a c t i o n  t o

e s t a b l i s h  i m m e d i a t e l y  an e f f e c t i v e  I AEA n o t i f i c a t i o n  and

e a r l y  w a r n i n g  me c h a n i s m.

Mr Ha yden s a i d  t h a t  t h e  G o v e r n me n t  wo u l d  a l s o

s u p p o r t  t h e  s e p a r a t e  e x p l o r a t i o n  o f  t h e  p o s s i b i l i t y  o f

m a n d a t o r y  i n t e r n a t i o n a l  n u c l e a r  s a f e t y  s t a n d a r d s .

Mr Hayden added t h a t  as w e l l  as t h i s  i n t e r n a t i o n a l

a c t i o n /  A u s t r a l i a  w o u l d  be e x a m i n i n g  t h e  prÂ·Â·* s i b i l i t y  o f

e x p a n d i n g  t h e  n u c l e a r  s a f e t y  component  o f  i t s  own n u c l e a r

t e c h n i c a l  a s s i s t a n c e  p r o g r a m and wo u l d  be d i s c u s s i n g  w i t h

r e g i o n a l  c o u n t r i e s  t h e  i m p l i c a t i o n s  f o r  t h e p r o g r a m s  o f  t h e

I A E A ' s  A s i a n / P a c i f i c  R e g i o n a l  C o - o p e r a t i v e  A g r e e m e n t  i n  N u c l e a r

S c i e n c e  and T e c h n o l o g y .

