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East-West-Newsletter BUND, part 4
Rundbrief Osteuropa BUND, Teil 4

Bund f�r Umwelt- und Naturschutz Deutschland
11. Rundbrief des Arbeitskreises Osteuropa, 15. Juni 1996
Redaktion: Erdmuthe Arnold, Valentin Thurn, David Oberhuber.


Osteuropabank profiliert sich zunehmend als Atombank 
von Valentin Thurn 

Falls Tschernobyl im Jahr 2000 wirklich
abgeschaltet wird, dann soll Ersatz im Wesentlichen aus zwei
anderen Atomkraftwerken kommen. Das beschlossen die
Regierungschefs des Westens letzte Woche in Moskau - nicht ganz
uneigennuetzig. Denn die beiden halbfertigen Reaktoren in Riwne
und Chmelnitzki sollen von der westlichen Atomindustrie
komplettiert werden. Andere Alternativen wie etwa Gas- und
Dampfkraftwerke wurden abgelehnt, angeblich weil sie teurer
sind. Doch die "Leastcost-Studie", die dies ermittelte, halten
nicht nur Atomkraftgegner fuer zweifelhaft. Mitarbeiter der
Europaeischen Bank fuer Wiederaufbau und Entwicklung (EBWE), der
bei der Finanzierung die Schluesselrolle zukommt, berichten von
"Manipulationen". Die Atomkraft-Option sei schoengerechnet, dem
Gutachter von der deutschen consulting "Lahmeyer International"
seien die oekonomischen Eckdaten bereits vorgegeben worden. "Die
Studie sollte nur noch rechtfertigen, was ohnehin schon
entschieden war", kritisiert ein Bankmitarbeiter, der anonym
bleiben will. Unrealistisch hoch sei zum Beispiel die
Stromverbrauchs-Prognose, viel zu niedrig die Schaetzung der
notwendigen Investionen. Auf der EBWE-Jahrestagung, die
ebenfalls letzte Woche in Sofia stattfand, musste
Bank-Praesident Jacques de Larosi_re eine Nachbesserung der
duennen Wirtschaftlichkeitsstudie versprechen, nachdem diese
sogar im Bank-Gouverneursrat kritisiert worden war. Die EBWE
soll nicht nur der wichigste Kreditgeber werden, sie ueberprueft
auch im Auftrag von Euratom und G 7. Gemauschelt wurde bereits
im letzten Jahr beim ersten Atomkraftprojekt der Bank: Mochovce
in der Slowakei. Auch hier liess die Bank von einem
unabhaengigen Gutachter die kostenguenstigste Loesung ermitteln.
Doch das Ergebnis des Gutachtens der Consulting-Firma "Putnam,
Hayes & Bartlett" ueberraschte die Banker: Die nukleare Option
sei keineswegs billiger als der Neubau eines Gas- und
Dampfkraftwerkes, und das, obwohl Mochovce bereits zu drei
Vierteln fertiggebaut ist. Doch Gas hat einen entscheidenden
Nachteil: Der Westen verdient nichts daran, denn es kommt aus
Russland. Das Ergebnis passte der franzoesischen Atomlobby
ueberhaupt nicht in den Kram, schliesslich war Mochovce ein
fetter Auftrag. Sie setzte ihre Truppen in Bewegung: Der damals
verantwortliche Teamleiter in der Bank, der englische
Energieoekonom Martin Blaiklock, wurde in die Zange genommen:
"Der Praesident setze zwei Franzosen ueber mir ein und zwei
Franzosen unter mir, um mich unter Kontrolle zu halten." Die
Studie mit dem "falschen Ergebnis" wurde nie veroeffentlicht.
Naechster Schritt: Der Gutachter von "Putnam, Hayes & Bartlett"
wurde angewiesen, die Studie umzuschreiben, und zwar nach den
Vorgaben der Bank. Die Consulting-Firma sah sich gezwungen, dem
Wunsch des Auftraggebers zu entsprechen, hielt allerdings auf
Anraten ihrer Rechtsanwaelte die Veraenderung der Grundannahmen
in einer Fussnote fest. So wurde der Zinssatz fuer Bankkredite
von 12 auf unrealistische 10 Prozent gesenkt, und die
Gaspreis-Prognose angehoben. "Das Ergebnis stand von vornherein
fest", urteilt Blaiklock: Nach der revidierten Studie war die
Atomkraft-Option rund fuenf Prozent billiger. Das war 1994.
Damit war die "Wirtschaftlichkeit" von Mochovce bewiesen, das
Projekt konnte starten. Dass im September 1995 die EBWE dann
doch noch aus der Finanzierung von Mochovce ausstieg, lag am
Protest einiger EBWE-Mitgliedslaender. Offene Gegnerschaft
zeigten zwar nur kleine Staaten wie Oesterreich, aber auch der
groesste EBWE-Geldgeber, die USA, hat das Vorgehen intern
kritisiert, allerdings wesentlich diskreter als die
Oesterreicher. Erst jetzt, ueber ein halbes Jahr spaeter,
dringen Einzelheiten ans Licht der Oeffentlichkeit. So uebernahm
eine franzoesische Seilschaft durch regelrechtes Mobbing die
Macht in der Energieabteilung und ekelte den Chef der Abteilung,
Martin Blaiklock, aus der Bank. Blaiklock ist kein
Atomkraftgegner, doch er wehrte sich gegen die unserioesen
Methoden einer gut organisierten Interessengruppe: Der
franzoesischen Atomlobby. Ganz besonders aergert sich der
ehemalige Banker darueber, dass die Bank zur gleichen Zeit ein
Energiesparprojekt in der Slowakei ablehnte. "Ich weiss bis
heute nicht, warum die Bankspitze dieses Projekt abgelehnt hat",
so Blaicklock, "alle Zahlen stimmten, und unsere Abteilung hat
das Projekt fuer gut befunden." Seine Vermutung: Es stand in
direkter Konkurrenz zum Atomkraft-Projekt Mochovce. Die Weltbank
laesst die Finger von Atomkraftprojekten, sie haelt sie fuer
unwirtschaftlich. Die EBWE hingegen profiliert sich zunehmend
als "Atombank". Die Umweltlobbyisten von CEE-Bankwatch
kritisieren, die Bank nutze ihren 350 Millionen Mark schweren
Nuklearen Sicherheitsfonds dazu, das Leben unsicherer
Sowjetreaktoren noch zu verlaengern. Bankwatch-Sprecher Tomasz
Terlecki: "Der Fonds wurde gegruendet, damit alte Reaktoren in
Osteuropa stillgelegt werden. Haben Sie gesehen, dass ein
einziger stillgelegt wurde? Ich nicht."

KRSKO in SLOwENIen: ENVIRONMENTALISTS SEEK PLANT CLOSURE.

by Stan Markotich (Reuters) 21.03.96 - Slovenia's Ecological
Movement, supported by Greenpeace, began to collect petition
signatures on 19 March in a bid to try to force the government
to close down the country's only nuclear plant, Krsko. If 40,000
signatures are collected by 17 May, the environmentalists will
be able to force a referendum on the plant's closure. One
Greenpeace representative observed: "In 10 years Slovenia would
be able to replace the energy which is produced by the nuclear
plant, mainly by new small gas and hydro power plants and by
household efficiency programmes." Last year neighboring Croatia
said it would give up its claims to the plant and its resources
and not protest its closure on condition that Zagreb is fully
compensated. Efforts in 1995 in the Slovenian legislature to
close the plant failed due to lack of support.

Ignalina in Litauen: Nuclear Power plant worries Nordic
neighbours

By Ed Stoddard Vilnius, April 25 (Reuter) - Lithuania's Ignalina
nuclear power plant, the home of two Chernobyl-typereactors, is
a major source of concern to the Baltic state's Nordic
neighbours who are striving to prevent anothernuclear disaster.
Ignalina supplies around 80 percent of Lithuania's electricity,
making the small Baltic state the most nuclearpower dependent
country in the world. "There is a general level of concern in
the Nordic countries about the possibility of an accident at
Ignalina,"said one Scandinavian diplomat in Lithuania. Four
reactors were originally planned for Ignalina, but construction
on the third was halted in 1987 bymassive public protests in the
wake of the 1986 Chernobyl disaster. Ten years after the
accident, Western donors and experts are racing to prevent a
repeat of the disaster at Ignalina, located 120 km (75 miles)
north-east of the Lithuanian capital Vilnius. The Swedish
government has allocated over $30 million and the G7's Nuclear
Safety Account (NSA) hasearmarked over 32 million ECU ($39.4
million) to enhance technical and occupational safety at the
plant. "We think this is money well spent," Stellan Ottosson,
Sweden's ambassador to Lithuania, told Reuters. The NSA grant,
which is administered by the European Bank for Reconstruction
and Development (EBRD), isbeing used to install new reactor trip
signals, fire protection devices, environmental monitoring
equipment and atraining simulator. "When all of the safety
projects at Ignalina are completed, the probability of an
accident occuring there will bethe same as any atomic energy
plant in the West," said Jan Nistad, the Director of the Swedish
InternationalProject for Nuclear Safety. Under the terms of the
Lithuanian government's agreement with the EBRD and the Group of
Seven (G7)major industrialised countries, Ignalina will be
permanently closed in 15 to 20 years time, when the
reactorchannels will require replacement. The plant will also be
subjected to an in-depth safety analysis by Western experts.
Unit-1 could be closed asearly as mid-1998 if it fails to make
the grade. But there are still concerns about the plant's safety
as it does not have a total containment system, Nistadsaid.
"While the probability of a serious accident at Ignalina is
small, if an accident does occur outside the primarycircuit,
there is nothing to prevent the radiation from being released
into the atmosphere, he said. Security and occupational problems
are of even greater concern than the plant's flawed technical
design. Security fears were heightened in November of 1994, when
German intelligence warned Lithuanianauthorities that the plant
was a possibile target for "terrorists." The plant was shut for
three days and scoured with bomb-sniffing dogs from Sweden.
Human error is also common among Ignalina's Soviet trained
staff. "The plant's biggest problem is that itlacks a culture of
safety," Nistad said. Last August, two cranes became entangled
while replacing fuel rods in the second reactor bloc. Several
dayslater, a 150 kg (330 lb) fuel rod broke while spent
radioactive fuel was being lowered into a waste pool and itsank
to the bottom. In mid-November, a fire broke out in a turbine
room. Two weeks later, one of the plant's engineers wasexposed
to a year's permitted dosage of radiation during a routine
calibration measurement of neutron flowdetectors. "The plant
should be closed soon," said Linas Vainius, the head of the
Lithuanian Green movement. "There is no independent monitoring
of radiation levels around the plant," he added.

Mayak im Suedural: Russia fears new danger from Urals nuclear
plant

By Andrei Khalip Moscow, May 5 (Reuter) - Russia needs to spend
large sums of money urgently to prevent new accidents and
pollution in the southern Urals from the country's only nuclear
fuel reprocessing plant, senior government officials said on
Sunday. "At the moment, and with the money that we have, we
cannot guarantee the safety of the people living downstream on
the River Techa," Yevgeny Drozhko, deputy head of the Mayak
plant told a government commission. The Mayak plant, often
dubbed "Russia's clockwork bomb" by environmentalists, suffered
a series of accidents in 1949, 1957 and 1967 which were hushed
up by the Soviet government. Drozhko said the plant, in the
Chelyabinsk region, desperately needed cash to prevent future
major disasters. "The only money we can get ourselves comes from
former communist states with whom we have contracts for
processing their nuclear waste. But this is not enough," Drozhko
said. First Deputy Prime Minister Oleg Soskovets chaired the
commission meeting which was attended by reporters. He slammed
plant and government officials for delays in cleaning up after
previous accidents and in providing more safety. "They have not
fulfilled their jobs properly and allowed the situation to
become critical," Soskovets said, adding that there would be a
"tough government decision" on the issue. Deputy Emergency
Situations Minister Viktor Vladimirov said the overall amount of
dumped radioactive materials in the plant's neigbourhood had
exceeded dozens of times the amount of radiation spewed out in
the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster. "Accidents at the plant in
the past and permanent dumping of liquid nuclear waste in the
neighbouring environment have led to a more dangerous situation
than in Russian territories which were affected by the Chernobyl
disaster," he said. Vladimirov said more than 60,000 people were
evacuated after the Mayak accidents, while about 900 were
suffering from severe doses of radiation. However, many
scientists and environmentalists say the full effects of the
accidents remain uncertain because victims were evacuated to
remote parts of the Soviet Union and no records have been kept
of most of them since then. Vladimirov said less than 15 percent
of the planned compensation to people living near the plant had
been paid so far under a government programme to rehabilitate
the region. Less than four percent of the total money targeted
for the region by the programme had been paid. Drozhko said the
plant needed to seal with concrete the polluted Karachai lake
and build a dam to prevent water spilling from the plant's
reservoirs and flooding the River Techa. Another top priority is
building a new plutonium storage area to replace an ageing
building. "If this old storage gets damaged, we may have another
disaster similar to those in 1957 or 1967," Drozhko said. The
U.S. is currently involved in construction of a storage area
near Mayak, paying half of the $300 million cost. Vladimirov
said another solution for Mayak's problems could be finishing
construction of the South Urals nuclear power plant, which would
use some of the stored radioactive material. Soskovets said the
government would soon adopt a new programme, up to the year
2000, to clean up the areas contaminated by the accidents and by
dumping of waste in the region.

Chernobyl legacy hovers over nuclear fleet

By Philippa Fletcher, Bolshoi Kamen, Russia, April 25 (Reuter)
Eight months before Chernobyl, an explosion on a
nuclearsubmarine moored off Russia's Far East coast offered a
grim foretaste of the disaster to come. "The lid of the reactor,
weighing several tonnes, flew hundreds of metres and the 10
people working in thereactor compartment disappeared," wrote
Rear Admiral Nikolai Mormul in a book on atomic submarine
history. "They only found body parts in the bay a day later."
Joshua Handler of the environmental organisation Greenpeace said
naval sources had described it to him even more graphically.
"They were wiped around the reactor room like butter, was how
they put it. They had to bury the pieces inlead-lined caskets,"
he said. Mormul said a wall of secrecy was immediately thrown up
around the August 10, 1985, blast, muffling the bitter lesson it
carried for the Chernobyl workers who caused their reactor's
explosion through a strikingly similar human error. The cover-up
meant compensation for those involved in the clean-up was out of
the question. All they gotwere chits for new clothes which said
they had been there when "the bang" happened, Mormul wrote. Ten
years later the ruined submarine is still sitting in the bay at
Chazma, one of three which the Pacific Fleetsays are in an
"emergency state." But safety seems low on the list of concerns
of the people of Bolshoi Kamen, home to the Zvezda nuclear
submarine repair and decommissioning plant near the site of the
explosion at Chazma Bay, on the Pacific coastopposite the port
city of Vladivostok. The people in this town, where Zvezda is
the main employer, have more immediate worries. "We don't get
paid for months on end," said Pavel Vasilev, who said he had
worked at the plant for 13 years."We've only just got our money
for November and December." Vera Andreyevna, who supports
working relatives from her 362,000 rouble ($70) monthly pension,
said the worst thing was the power cuts, imposed partly because
the plant, which the authorities are not allowed to cutoff,
cannot pay its bills. A woman selling ice cream in a late spring
snow shower in Bolshoi Kamen last week said this was the only
way she could make ends meet. "What do we do? We steal," said a
man who refused to give his name. Zvezda, once part of an elite
network of secretive defence plants, is surrounded by villages
and abandoned military bases formerly known only by numbers. A
sign still stands at the entrance to the town saying that
foreigners are forbidden. Half-built blocks of flatsmarked "70
years since the (1917) October revolution" bear witness to a
Cold War defence boom frozen in itstracks by reforms. Locals,
who still pick mushrooms in the contaminated zone where the
reactor exploded, are sanguine aboutthe risk of another,
repeating the message from managers of the plant about strict
checks and controls. Valery Denilyan, head of the Pacific
Fleet's chemical defence service, is more worried about the
dailyheadache of dealing with 50 old submarines due to be
scrapped by 2010 than the risk of a new explosion. "In the last
10 years nothing like that has happened...but as long as you
have nuclear submarines you cannever say there will not be an
accident," he said. "There are a lot of problems here. There are
no finances and then we've got the serious problem of the
spentfuel. It is the most dangerous." Handler, who has written a
detailed technical report on the environmental hazards of the
Pacific Fleet, saidthere could be another big blast if a mistake
was made in removing the fuel from an old submarine whose
corelife was not used up. "Another Chazma is possible if some
underpaid guys are not paying attention or someone is in a
hurry," hesaid. While there has not been an accident as bad as
Chazma in the past decade, some hair raising things havehappened
in the region. In 1994 debris from shells and rockets fell on
Bolshoi Kamen after an off-duty guard at a nearby arms depotset
off an explosion by trying to dismantle an electrical component
from a missile with a knife. A year later, the workers at
Bolshoi Kamen blocked a new generation nuclear submarine in the
plant inprotest at delays in pay. They were persuaded to let it
go and the workers now appear in no mood to repeat their action,
clinging to thehope that if they continue to work they will
eventually get paid. "We went on strike for about 10 days and
they cancelled our annual bonus," said Valentin, who refused
togive his surname for fear he would be fired. "There's nowhere
else for us to go." He said his efforts were focused on trying
to get money for his son's studies so he could avoid going into
thearmy. "What is there for him to fight for? "There's nothing
worth defending any more," he said.

10 Jahre nach Tschernobyl

FLOOD WILL WASH CHERNOBYL FALLOUT INTO DRINKING WATER

(Translation of a page 1 article in the Ukrainian Parliament's
newspaper "Voice of Ukraine" (Holos Ukrayiny), March 16, 1996,
entitled "Invisible Enemy Must Not Become Allied with Great
Water", Translated by Jonathan Spaulding, press coordinator
"Lessons of Chernobyl" Conference). Kiev  - What level of
flooding is expected in the Chernobyl Zone? Will it cause a
radiation safety hazard? This is what what discussed at a
meeting of the Standing Government Committee on
Technogenic-Ecological Safety and Emergency Situations, held at
Ukrainian Civil Defense headquarters. The chairman of the
Chernobyl Zone Flood Commission Mr. Stepanenko stated that the
situation on the Pripyat River is under control.The river basin
and the water safety structures at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power
Plant have been checked out.The Ukrainian State Meteorological
Scientific Research Institute and the Institute of Cybernetics
of the Ukrainian National Academy of Sciences have generated an
assessment of the expected radioactive contamination of the
Dnepro River water system during the period of Spring
flooding.According to this prognosis, the peak of the flood is
expected in the last ten days of April through the first ten
days of May.The peak flow of water near Chernobyl may reach 2150
cubic meters per second. Oleg Voytsekhovich, who is deputy
director of the above-mentioned meteorological institute was
asked to comment on the significance of this prognosis, and this
is what he said: "After the Chernobyl accident most of the
radioactive contamination remained in the area around the plant,
which is in the Pripyat River watershed.Here there is a
concentration of 40,000 to 50,000 curies of strontium-90 and
approximately 70,000 curies of radioactive cesium. Efforts to
prevent floodwaters from washing this contamination into the
river were begun as early as 1988.The most highly polluted area
is contained by a dam, which was built in 1993 on the left bank
of the Pripyat.This bridge can not be washed away by the
expected flood this Spring.But on the right bank the water
protection projects have not been completed, and this leaves an
area that is contaminated by 1500-1600 Cu of strontium-90
unprotected from Spring flooding.This could lead to the washing
of radioactive elements into the Kiev Reservior, and further
south along course of the Dnipro River.This is what is causing
the concern." (The Dnipro River provides drinking water for
approximately 70% of Ukraine's population.- translator's note).
The beginning of significant flooding is expected in early
April.The situation is made more complicated by the fact that
below-freezing temperatures have been holding firm, and
therefore in all likelihood the timing of the flood will be
around ten days later than initially predicted. So two possible
scenarios have been generated.Today the level of contamination
in the water around Kiev-Vyshgorod is around 5-6
picocuries/liter.In the first (more-likely) scenario the level
of pollution during the peak of the flood will not go above 20
pico-curies/liter.This is the maximum allowable level as set by
Ukrainian Ministry of Health for strontium. However, if the
Spring thaw comes more quickly the flooding may be more
severe.This is the situation envisioned in the second scenario,
which has an estimated 10% chance of occuring.In this scenario
the maximum level of strontium contamination of the Pripyat
River in the region of Chernobyl may reach 70-100
pico-curies/liter, and of the Dnipro River nearer Kiev - 30
pico-curies/liter.This later figure would be 1.5 times higher
than the allowable level. Is there danger in these figures?
According to both international and Ukrainian standards for
radiation safety, the allowable level for temporary
concentrations of strontium in drinking water is 100
pico-curies/liter, so even in the worse-case scenario the
standards will not be violated. The situation may be made worse
by ice on the Pripyat River, which is in some places 1.2 meters
in thickness.Ice blocks are likely to cause flooding of the
river's tributaries.So ice-breaking equipment has been sent
there to clear the riverway if required for safety reasons. The
conclusion can be drawn that even in the worst-case-scenario
situation will not cause any significant threat from the point
of view of radiation safety. But the situation does show that
the Zone remains a source of pollution, and it is necessary to
continue efforts aimed at its further minimization.

Fires by Chernobyl raise Ukraine and Belarus radiation

By Larisa Sayenko Minsk, April 24 (Reuter) - Fires in grassland
near the stricken Chernobyl nuclear power station haveincreased
radiation levels in districts in both Ukraine and Belarus,
officials in both countries said onWednesday. Igor Rolevich,
Belarus's Deputy Emergency Situations Minister, told Reuters the
fires, which broke out onlydays before the 10th anniversary of
the disaster at the plant, had been brought under control. But
higher radiation readings persisted along a stretch of land
within and adjacent to the 30-km (18-mile)exclusion zone
surrounding the plant and were linked to flames, smoke and
displacement of highly radioactivedust. "Yesterday was a public
holiday and people in the region lit candles and bonfires. There
were five bases offire, two of them in the Belarussian part of
the Chernobyl exclusion zone," Rolevich said. "All fires have
been brought under control. But this had an effect on background
radiation, with increasesregistered over a 10 to 20 km (six to
12 mile) stretch. There is no real effect on inhabited
territory." Belarussian radio said 400 houses had been destroyed
by fire in the zone, evacuated by Soviet authoritiesafter the
explosion at the Chernobyl plant on April 26, 1986. Downwind
from the conflagration, Belarus was worst affected by
radioactivity from the Chernobyl accident,receiving 70 percent
of the fallout. Up to a quarter of its territory was
contaminated and President Alexander Lukashenko last week toured
worst-affected regions by helicopter. Nearly 300,000 people were
hurriedly moved out of about 500 towns and villages on both
sides of the border after the disaster, many told they were
leaving for only three days. Up to 1,000 people have since
returneddespite a government ban. Environmental groups said the
latest fires posed a major threat as winds could carry radiation
well outsidethe zone. In Kiev, Ukraine's Chernobyl affairs
minister Volodymyr Kholosha said radiation increases had been
notedonly in isolated areas within a few hundred metres (300
yards) of where fires raced through a string of villageson
Tuesday. He said the fires had probably been caused by residents
on annual visits to the homes they hurriedly evacuated in the
aftermath of the disaster 10 years ago. Distraught villagers
watched in horror as their derelict homes were reduced to ashes
within 15 minutes. "The reasons for the fires are being
investigated but the most likely explanation is carelessness by
thesevisitors. By evening all fires were brought under control
and extinguished," Kholosha said. "There was no danger to the
Chernobyl station as the fire did not approach it. There was no
overall change inradiation levels. Increases were noted in the
area immediately around the fires, but only within several
hundredmetres." Radiation meters carried by firefighters showed
steep increases caused by fires, smoke and displacementof dust.
Kholosha said the fires, which raced through five villages in
the highly contaminated zone, had burned outmore than 150
hectares (375 acres) of forest and grass. Derelict homes and
other wooden buildings weredestroyed in half an hour or less. A
spokesman for Ukraine's civil defence organisation said
officials from both countries were keeping acareful watch to
keep the flames from spreading.

April 24 (Reuter) - A top Ukrainian official said on Wednesday
fires in the "exclusion zone" around the Chernobyl nuclear power
plant had been extinguished and had caused only minor, localised
increases inradiation. Volodymyr Kholosha, minister for
Chernobyl affairs, said brush fires in the 30-km (18-mile) zone
on Tuesday had probably been caused by residents on annual
visits to villages evacuated after the Chernobyl disaster
10years ago this week. "The reasons for the fire are being
investigated but the most likely explanation is carelessness by
these visitors. By evening all fires were brought under control
and extinguished," Kholosha said. "There was no danger to the
Chernobyl station as the fire did not approach it. There was no
overall change in radiation levels. Increases were noted in the
area immediately around the fires, but only within several
hundredmetres."

Radiation release at Chernobyl but environment safe

Kiev, April 25 (Reuter) - A small amount of radiation escaped at
the Chernobyl nuclear power station on theeve of the 10th
anniversary of the world's worst nuclear disaster, a spokesman
for the Ukrainian plant said onThursday. Oleg Goloskokov said
the radiation was cleaned up overnight and there was no threat
of contamination to theenvironment. The incident occurred on
Wednesday night when staff were changing filters used to pump
air from inside thesarcophagus encasing the fourth reactor,
which exploded on April 26, 1986. "The filters were changed in
normal fashion, but when the work was completed, the old filters
were left in aroom by the third reactor," he said by telephone
from Chernobyl. "This was radioactive material. As the work was
badly organised, radioactive dust contaminated four places.The
level of radioactivity rose seven times. There was no
irradiation of staff beyond norms. But this was aviolation of
safety rules and people could well have been affected." The
incident rated a minimum one on the international scale of seven
for reporting nuclear occurrences. Goloskokov said staff noted
the contamination in good time and cleaned it up completely
overnight,preventing a repetition of an incident last November
in which a staff member received a year's permitted dose
ofradiation. Ukraine, Belarus and Russia are staging elaborate
commemorations to mark the 10th anniversary of thedisaster,
which sent a plume of radioactivity over much of Europe. Ukraine
has pledged to shut down Chernobyl's two remaining working
reactors by the year 2000, butecologists say the plant is
dangerous and want it closed immediately. Anthony Froggatt, a
spokesman for the ecologist group Greenpeace, denounced the
incident as "a classicexample of the lack of safety culture that
exists at the Chernobyl station. It is not sufficient to close
the station inthe year 2000. it must be closed immediately."

Chernobyl scares Ukrainians less than poverty

By Elaine Monaghan Kiev, April 25 (Reuter) - Most Ukrainians
will never forget the day they heard Chernobyl's fourth reactor
hadexploded, but 10 years on some of the former Soviet
republic's citizens are far more worried about poverty thanany
threat from the station. Black banners depicting an atom and
reading "Chernobyl -- our sorrow" were draped along
KhreshchatykStreet, Kiev's broad main thoroughfare, in brilliant
sunshine on Thursday, the eve of the 10th anniversary. A
choirsang dirges nearby in Independence Square. Carelessness by
staff at the station 140 km (90 miles) to the north had caused a
radiation release -- thistime a minor one -- on Wednesday, but
noone seemed to know or care much. "Fears about Chernobyl are
not growing in Ukraine," said Alexander Stegni of the
Sotsis-Gallup polling centrein Kiev. "People are most worried
about the financial situation, personal security and health."
The centre's poll last week of 1,200 adults showed only 59
percent of Ukrainians were able to answer thequestion: "Which
event of significance to Ukraine happened in April 1986?" "It's
a psychological barrier, people don't want to know about the
danger of Chernobyl," said Sergei Ignatov,41, a translator
accompanying a group of Finnish businessmen. "Ten years of being
scared are more thanenough." "There are always accidents at
nuclear power plants. I'm sure Chernobyl is no worse than any
other," saidAlexander Zaitsev, 45, an out-of-work engineer.
Western countries have pledged $3 billion to help Ukraine meet
its commitment to close the station's twoworking reactors by the
year 2000. But Ukrainians are suspicious of this. People
interviewed on Thursday were equally sceptical about new pledges
to help Ukraine at a nuclearsummit in Moscow last week. Most
said they would believe it when they saw it. "I don't think
anyone in the world has enough money to close down Chernobyl and
put right all the damage ithas done," said Ignatov. Experts
disagree on the casualty toll. But officials here say the
world's worst nuclear accident was directlyresponsible for 4,300
deaths and affected a further 3.5 million people. "There are
always leaks, but we still have to live here, so what's the
point in worrying," said Irina Kuznetsova,49. "It's better just
to keep smiling." But everyone remembered how they learned of
the accident, which sent a radioactive cloud across much
ofEurope. Lida Novak, a 33-year-old book-seller with a son of
11, came close to tears as she told how her family, likemost,
only found out a week later that the explosion was serious. "I
took my daughter out of school yesterday with a headache and a
bleeding nose. The doctor says it'sChernobyl. We're both
constantly tired," she said, describing symptoms which many
Ukrainians ascribe to thepower plant. "I'm not against atomic
energy as such. I'm just against them taking such an indifferent
attitude towardssafety," said Nikolai, 29, who helped evacuate
people living near the station two days after the accident. No
onehad warned him of the danger to his health. Vera Rostykhova
said: "If you thought about it too hard you would have to leave,
so it's better not to think aboutit." It is easy to see why
Ukrainians might have other things to worry about in a country
where the average wageis the equivalent of $75 a month. Two
young men painting railings said their opinion did not matter.
"It's not up to us what happens toChernobyl. Of course it should
be closed, but no one cares what we think," one said.

Chernobyl cancers to peak in nine years

Reuters 20.03.96 - Former Soviet republics affected by the 1986
Chernobyl disaster face a peak in cancers caused by
radioactivity in about nine years' time, Belarus's Chernobyl
minister said Monday. Ivan Kenik said Belarus had little
experience with radiation-linked illness, notably thyroid cancer
in children, and needed Western help to cope. "The peak of the
consequences linked to the Chernobyl disaster will be reached in
about the year 2005 because of a sharp increase in cancers,"
Kenik said. "In contaminated regions, incidence of thyroid and
breast cancer and leukemia is two to three times higher than in
other regions." Belarus, sandwiched between Russia, Ukraine and
Poland, suffered the most from the explosion and fire at
Chernobyl, just over the border in Ukraine. Seventy percent of
the radiation spewed across most of Europe fell on its
territory. President Alexander Lukashenko said one quarter of
Belarus's territory had been contaminated by the disaster. Firm
statistics on the number of people affected by the disaster are
difficult to pin down, but authorities in Ukraine say it caused
several thousand deaths in their country alone. 

Study sees first genetic mutations after Chernobyl

By Maggie Fox London, April 24 (Reuter) - Scientists said on
Wednesday they had found the first evidence that children born
near the Chernobyl nuclear power plant had undergone genetic
mutations. Researchers said the studies were the first
affirmation that the explosion and fire at Chernobyl 10 years
agohad had any genetic effect on living things and would be sure
to spark off further research. "This is the first direct
evidence for radiation actually causing mutation in human
children" said Sir AlecJeffreys, a geneticist at Britain's
University of Leicester who worked on the study. But Jeffreys,
who pioneered the concept of genetic fingerprinting now used to
identify criminals, said thefindings did not mean the children
would develop diseases such as cancer. "This is all highly
preliminary and suggestive, although there does appear to be
something going on there,"he said, adding that most experts
never believed the low levels of radiation produced at Chernobyl
would havegenetic effects. "But it will in the future raise
questions about just what is the effect of low, persistent
levels of ionisingradiation in the environment from one human
generation to the next." Scientists agree the rate of thyroid
cancer, especially among children, rose in Belarus after the
April, 1986accident just across the border in Ukraine spewed a
radioactive cloud. In Belarus in particular, where 70 percent of
radiation leaked was deposited, more than 400 cases of
thyroidcancer among children have been recorded. The World
Health Organisation says this is 100 times pre-accidentlevels.
Jeffrey's group, who reported their findings in the science
journal Nature, collected blood samples from 79 Belarussian
families living in rural areas heavily affected by nuclear
fallout from the accident. The families all had children born
between February and September 1994 and both parents had stayed
inthe district continuously from the time of the accident. As a
comparison, they examined 105 British families whowere not
exposed. The Belarussian families had twice as many mutations as
the British families. The mutations were clearlyhanded down from
parent to child -- and were permanently coded in the children's
genes, meaning they willpass them on to any children they have.
Yuri Dubrova, a geneticist working at the Russian Academy of
Science and the University of Leicester, saidthe group looked at
certain genetic sites known as minisatellites which have a
mutation rate 1,000 times higherthan other genes. This makes the
mutations easier to spot. But he said they did not mean the
children would develop any diseases. "The sites have nothing to
do withany genetic system affecting variability, disease,
cancer, et cetera," Dubrova said. "They are absolutely neutral."
Experts agree it will be up to 50 years before all the health
effects of Chernobyl are seen. It takes that long formany
cancers caused by radiation to show up. Nonetheless, Jeffreys
said the findings were surprising. "The general assumption was
there would be no detectable effects. I think many people
thought 'we won'tbother looking at it because we won't see
anything'," he said. "The $64,000 question is that if (the genes
we tested) are sensitive to radiation, is that true for other
classesof human DNA? We simply don't know. We don't have the
right tests," he said. "To extend those studies to lookat
mutations that can result in inherited disease is beyond current
technology." A second study published on Wednesday found an
unusually high number of genetic mutations among volesliving
around the site of the plant. David Hillis of the University of
Texas at Austin said the findings were surprising. "The reports
will stimulate areassessment of the genetic and other biological
effects of exposure to nuclear waste," he wrote.

Ukraine tackles Chernobyl "sarcophagus" after delay

By Rostislav Khotin Kiev, April 25 (Reuter) - The cracked steel
and concrete "sarcophagus" covering the Chernobyl nuclearpower
station's ruined fourth reactor is back at centre stage in
debate on how to deal with the world's worstnuclear accident.
The ominous structure, housing 200 tonnes of mangled nuclear
materials and radioactive water left from thedisaster 10 years
ago on Friday, has again caught the attention of world leaders.
But only at Ukraine'sinsistence. "You cannot resolve the
so-called Chernobyl problem without clarity on how to deal with
the sarcophagus andhow whatever you do will be paid for," Deputy
Foreign Minister Kostyantyn Hryshchenko said in an interview.
"We can agree to Western credits to close Chernobyl's two
working reactors and create alternative energysources. But we
insist on straightforward aid to fix the sarcophagus. This is
our biggest problem." Leaders of the Group of Seven wealthy
countries, meeting last week in Moscow, noted Ukraine's
renewedcommitment to shut down Chernobyl's two working reactors.
But they also agreed for the first time to conduct a study by
the end of the year into replacing the "tomb." Ukrainian
diplomats said the meeting was held up because of tough
negotiations which ended with theissue being included in a final
statement. That reversed three years of inaction and confusion
by post-SovietUkraine's leaders. The original sarcophagus,
erected in the chaotic six months following the April
1986explosion and fire, was a tremendous feat of engineering.
After underestimating the extent of the disaster, Soviet leaders
mobilised hundreds of thousands of workers,used remote building
techniques and built a rail line to the devastated reactor.
"Liquidators" ran hundreds ofhelicopter-borne missions to dump
sand, concrete and boron on the site. But the structure,
separated from reactor No. 3 by a wall 10 metres (35 feet)
thick, was intended to last only30 years. Up to 2,000 sq. metres
(21,530 sq ft) of cracks developed, prompting alarm by Western
experts keen to shutdown the station quickly. Ukrainian
authorities patched most of them up, though they tried to dispel
alarm by saying the structureunderneath needed some openings to
prevent overheating. A tender was announced to replace the
sarcophagus with a new structure built to last at least a
century. But of 394 entries by mainly Western firms seeking
lucrative deals, not a single one was declaredsatisfactory and
matters remained at a standstill. A compromise group effort led
by French and British firms, dubbed "Alliance," failed to
resolve differenceswith the government. "We have to work out a
clear project -- maybe a second sarcophagus isn't necessary at
all," Ukraine'sChernobyl Affairs Minister Volodymyr Kholosha
told Reuters. "We have to work out a way to clear out
theradioactive mass inside, put it into containers and pump out
radioactive water." Ecologists decry the existing sarcophagus as
a disaster waiting to happen. Experts differ on how much of
athreat is posed by the high radiation levels inside and the
lava-like, tangled masses known as "elephant's feet." "A lot has
been done to stabilise and strengthen the sarcophagus. It's
stable and won't fall in as a whole,"said Kholosha. "But
individual sections could collapse, especially in case of an
earthquake, tornado or aircrash. "Part of the substances inside
are hard to reach or monitor. A chain reaction is hypothetically
possible butmore likely are small outbreaks or "flashes" of
radiation. An explosion of the sarcophagus is most unlikely."

26. 4. 96 - At official ceremonies, Lukashenko buried a "time
capsule" next to a church and a future monument to Chernobyl
victims. A letter signed by Lukashenko and the head of the
Belarussian Orthodox church wished future generations "a world
free of ecological evils and overflowing hospitals. Let us be
rid of contaminated land, water and air." In his television
address, Lukashenko said authorities had no moral right to stop
residents returning to their former homes in the 30-km (18-mile)
exclusion zone around Chernobyl. "We will return to our
villages. I am certain of this," Lukashenko said. "Through a
series of agricultural, chemical and technical processes, we
will be able to produce ecologically pure food on this land."

Chernobyl a burden on Ukraine's collapsed ...

By Yuri Kulikov KIEV, Ukraine, April 25 (Reuter) - Ukraine's
dilapidated health care system, in disarray even before the
collapse of the Soviet Union, is reeling under the burden
imposed by the Chernobyl nuclear disaster 10 years ago. The mass
release of radiation following the explosion and fire at the
plant has produced major, and costly, problems for the young
Ukrainian state. Senior officials angrily dismiss suggestions in
the West that Ukraine has overstated after-effects to win
international sympathy and money. "Anyone who says radiation has
no effect on the health of Ukrainians is sticking his head in
the sand. They are lying," said Environment Minister Yuri
Kostenko this month. "It has an influence, a powerful influence,
on people's health." Average Ukrainians are quick to attribute a
wide variety of health problems and aches and pains to
Chernobyl. But even a shortlist of problems facing the country's
doctors, often unpaid for months, is daunting. Most dramatic is
thyroid cancer in children and treatment and benefits for
350,000 front-line "liquidators" who have fallen ill or likely
to become sick after clean-up operations at the site 140 km (90
miles) north of Kiev. Another priority is the social upheaval
for hundreds of thousands of evacuees, further disoriented by
the elimination of the measure of security many felt they had in
the Soviet era. More long-term concerns focus on future genetic
mutations. Statistics vary widely on the dead and ailing.
Government officials have produced new figures, clearly with the
intention of using the anniversary of the April 26, 1986
disaster to draw attention to Ukraine's plight. In a
high-profile state of the union address this month President
Leonid Kuchma said 3.5 million Ukrainian citizens have suffered
ill-effects, one million of them children. Deputy Prime Minister
Vasyl Durdynets told parliament that 4,299 deaths since 1986
were directly attributable to Chernobyl. In 1987, 78 percent of
"liquidators" had been in good health, compared to only 20
percent now. For those affected in one way or another, life in
post-Soviet Ukraine offers little comfort. Ivan Tkachenko, 64,
was moved from his home inside Chernobyl's 30 km (18-mile)
exclusion zone to the village of Ludvinivka, 50 km (30 miles)
west of Kiev. A third of his 500 fellow evacuees have died since
their transfer, many of cancer. "My family and I and most of us
from our village can feel the influence of radiation from
Chernobyl," Tkachenko said. "The worst thing is they can't buy
expensive medicines, and haven't the strength to get themselves
to a hospital. Most people earn the equivalent of $20 to $40 a
month and many of us haven't been paid our pensions for months."
Many liquidators receive treatment at the Ukrainian Radiology
Medical Clinic just west of Kiev -- the only institution in
Ukraine studying the effects of radiation on humans. Geologist
Mykhailo Dmitriev, a healthy 30-year-old when he was summoned to
erect the steel and concrete "sarcophagus" now encasing
Chernobyl's ruined reactor No. 4, lost the use of both his legs
to paralysis a year ago. "I am just like a musician without
hands," said Dmitriev, now lying listlessly in a bed at the
clinic, his only distraction spinning the dial of his short wave
radio. A broken lamp stands on a small table next to his bed.
The clinic's chief doctor Volodymyr Bebeshko said 237 people had
radiation sickness in the initial months following the
explosion. Of those, 134 have died. Psychological damage has
pushed up suicide rates, alcoholism and other addictions,
Bebeshko said. In 1994 the United Nations opened community
centres offering counselling in contaminated areas in Ukraine,
Russia, and Belarus. "The psychological stress from the disaster
has caused more damage than the radiation itself," Bebeshko
said. "A study of Chernobyl employees working at the station
since 1986 showed 280, or 19 percent had committed suicide -all
from stress." Other workers had sunk into alcoholism or even
drinking aftershave lotion. Children in contaminated areas
displayed excessive nervousness and delayed development, he
said. Post-Soviet economic collapse meant there was no money at
his clinic to buy medicine or conduct proper research. "No one
could possibly say this catastrophe did anyone's health any
good," Bebeshko said. "Our doctors earn on average $60 to $100
per month but very often we just don't get paid at the end of
the month. That means we are losing many qualified specialists."
Deputy Health Minister Viktor Ponomarenko provides an even
longer list of post-Soviet ailments -- which may have as much or
more to do with post-Soviet decline than the accident. "We see
that the general level of health in Ukraine keeps getting worse
with all sorts of illnesses," he said. "There is cancer, blood
disorders, nervous system disorders and stomach problems. There
is a growing number of unhealthy children being born." Cash
problems and disputes over benefits have prompted "liquidators"
and others to stage periodic protests outside Ukraine's
parliament to remind authorities that they exist. But most, like
Dmitriev, are philosophical. "We, those who were at Chernobyl,
have certain benefits which other people do not enjoy. I get
free medicines," he said. "But to be frank, I would rather have
my health back."

Chernobyl staff mark 10 years since explosion

By Rostislav Khotin Chernobyl Power Station, Ukraine, April 26
(Reuter) - Workers from the Chernobyl power station stood in
silence on Friday to remember colleagues killed when the plant's
fourth reactor, now encased in concrete,exploded 10 years ago.
Hundreds of members of the 6,000-strong staff, facing the
plant's closure by the end of the century, heardone of Ukraine's
top nuclear industry officials say they had the power to
recapture public opinion -- by runningtheir station safely. "The
political environment is changing. Fortune is not smiling on you
now, but you have a powerful weapon which could turn that
around," said Mikhail Umanets, former director of both the
Chernobyl station and Ukraine'snuclear authority. "This weapon
is the safe operation of the Chernobyl station and I hope you
will use it faultlessly." A nearby meter showed the level of
radiation between 80 and 85 milliroentgens per hour -- far less
than the750 measured at the spot 10 years ago but still four
times higher than what are regarded as safe levels. The mourners
observed a minute's silence and many wept as an orchestra played
solemn music. A largebust of Soviet state founder Vladimir Lenin
stood nearby at the plant's entrance. The 10th anniversary
commemorations were marred by a minor release of radiation this
week which officialsblamed on lax working practices. But
Ukraine's nuclear industry, sent into a tailspin by the disaster
and then by the collapse of the SovietUnion, now enjoys great
prestige. Salaries, once far lower than in Russia, have been
improved and industry officials bask in the knowledge thattheir
15 reactors provide 40 percent of Ukraine's electricity. On
April 26, 1986, staff conducting an unauthorised experiment lost
control of the reactor and it exploded,blowing the unit's roof
into the air and sending a cloud of radioactivity over most of
Europe. Ukraine says 4,300 people died as a direct result of the
accident and many of its 350,000 clean-up workersare now ill.
Millions were affected -- mostly in Ukraine, Belarus and Russia.
Officials say Chernobyl's two working reactors are safe, but
President Leonid Kuchma has promised underWestern pressure to
close them down. In exchange, Ukraine has received pledges of $3
billion in Western aidfor decommissioning and more to replace
the cracking "sarcophagus" around the ruined reactor. "Chernobyl
was definitely a technical fault. Very serious mistakes were
made in the safety system but nowthere is no reason for
concern," one of the station's top safety experts, Vladimir
Chugunov, told Reuters. The mother and son of the first person
to die in the disaster wept as they placed flowers in his memory
at thefoot of a bronze statue depicting a man fighting a blaze.
Oleg Khodymchuk, 19, and his grandmother Anna donned white
smocks for protection, looking just like thehundreds of
thousands of "liquidators" who risked and lost their lives
trying to deal with the disaster's aftermath. "I learned of my
father's death on the second day, when a teacher told me at
school that my father's bodycould not be found," Oleg told
Reuters on Friday. The body of Valery Khodymchuk, a 34-year-old
operator who was working on the night shift of April 26,
hasnever been recovered and is thought to lie buried in the
reactor. Many people in Ukraine, which won independence from
Moscow in 1991, blame the accident on Sovietauthorities, accused
of sacrificing safety for cheap energy. Staff member Tatyana
Borets, who was also working at Chernobyl on April 26 1986, saw
no reason to fear anew accident at the plant and, like many,
firmly opposed its closure. "There would be nothing to gain from
closing it down," she said. "The radiation already in the soil
would notsuddenly go away. Chernobyl is not a symbol of horror,
but a symbol of political gain."

UKRAINIAN AUTHORITIES JAIL ANTI-NUCLEAR PROTESTERS

By Renfrey Clarke, Moscow - With close to a thousand square
kilometres of Ukraine made uninhabitable by the 1986 Chernobyl
nuclear disaster, you might expect the authorities in the
capital, Kiev, to take a tolerant attitude to protests against
nuclear power. And you might think the government would permit
state-owned mass media organs to give a hearing to anti-nuclear
campaigners. Not a bit of it. In the week leading up to the
tenth anniversary of the Chernobyl catastrophe on April 26, the
Ukrainian government banned its media outlets from publicising
anti-nuclear information. As for public actions in Kiev to mark
the anniversary - these were forbidden by the city's mayor. When
anti-nuclear campaigners on April 23 defied the ban on
demonstrations and picketed government offices, the result was
bruised limbs and a string of arrests and jailings. The
anti-nuclear protest action began early in the afternoon of
April 23 when environmentalists from Ukraine, Russia and other
countries gathered on Independence Square in Kiev. The
protesters were demanding the shutting down of the remaining
reactors at the Chernobyl plant; an end to moves for the further
development of nuclear power in Ukraine; the initiation of a
program to close down all the country's nuclear power plants;
and the development of non-nuclear energy alternatives. The
activists first created a chain symbolising Ukrainian nuclear
dependence. Then followed speakers who included Sergey Fomichev,
a well-known activist of the Rainbow Keepers radical
environmental group, and Vladimir Slivyak, an anti-nuclear
spokesperson for the Russian-based Social-Ecological Union.
After about an hour some 30 demonstrators marched to the offices
of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, and mounted a picket
outside the building. About thirty minutes later special forces
police moved in to smash the gathering, arresting a total of 19
demonstrators. The "justice" these people received was as rough
as their arrests had been. The environmentalists were denied
lawyers and translators as well as medical treatment. At the
Pechersky Police Office that evening, they were put before a
magistrate who denied them any chance to speak. Five of the
demonstrators, including Fomichev and Slivyak, were jailed. The
imprisoned activists began a hunger strike. Anti-nuclear
activists discussed the arrests with representatives of the Kiev
Committee for the Protection of Human Rights. The committee
members noted that at least five serious violations of Ukrainian
laws appeared to have occurred during the arrests and the trial.
By April 26 Fomichev and Slivyak had been released. On the
street near the Kiev mayor's office, the two addressed an
impromptu press conference. "The authorities tried to threaten
us and disrupt our plans for the Chernobyl anniversary," Slivyak
declared. "But they can't kill the worldwide anti-nuclear
movement, just as they can't kill the memory of Chernobyl."
Special forces police soon arrived to drive off demonstrators
who had unfurled a banner near where the press conference was
taking place. The arrested picketers were released only
gradually, and at least one was still being held on April 29.
The Anti-Nuclear Campaign in the Former USSR is now consulting
with lawyers, with a view to launching a criminal court case
around the violation of the environmentalists' human rights.
Despite the continuing horror of Chernobyl, the nuclear industry
remains an influential force in Ukraine. Europe's largest
nuclear power plant, the third largest in the world, is at
Zaporizhye in the country's south-east. At present, nuclear
power accounts for about 35 per cent of Ukraine's electricity
production; anxious to reduce dependency on gas supplies from
neighbouring Russia, the Ukrainian government plans to increase
this figure to as much as 60 per cent. Billions of dollars are
at stake in orders for new nuclear power installations in
Ukraine, and the people who run the former Soviet nuclear
industry have no intention of allowing environmentalists to
block the spending of this money. In setting out to protect
their profits, the nuclear bosses obviously have the ear of the
Ukrainian state authorities.

"ECODEFENSE!inform" environmental inform-bulletin, Nr. 83,
APRIL-MAY 1996

Belarus leader says Chernobyl evacuees can return

By Yuri Svirko Minsk, April 25 (Reuter) - Belarussian President
Alexander Lukashenko said on Thursday that peopleevacuated 10
years ago from areas contaminated by the Chernobyl nuclear
disaster would one day be able toreturn and produce
radiation-free food. Lukashenko, in a television address marking
the anniversary of the April 26, 1986 explosion, said
authoritieshad no moral right to stop residents from returning
to their former homes in areas near the station just over
theborder in Ukraine. "Today many people are returning to their
villages from where they were taken in a hastily
organisedevacuation. Authorities have no right to stop these
people. This is not the Christian, the human way," Lukashenko
said. "We will return to our villages. I am certain of this.
Through a series of agricultural, chemical and
technicalprocesses, we will be able to produce ecologically pure
food on this land." Belarus, downwind from the disaster, was
worst affected by radioactivity which spewed out of
Chernobyl'sruined fourth reactor, receiving 70 percent of the
total fallout. Lukashenko, an advocate of some form of union
with neighbouring Russia, has described the disaster as
a"radioactive tornado never seen before." Hundreds, perhaps
thousands, have returned to derelict homes in the 30-km
(18-mile) exclusion zonearound the plant. Authorities in Ukraine
and Belarus decline to enforce the ban. But experts have said
the territory should not be used, particularly for growing food,
for an extended period oftime. Lukashenko says his country of 10
million still devotes 25 percent of its budget to cleanup
operations. A quarter of the former Soviet republic's territory
remains contaminated and Lukashenko toured the worst affected
areas by helicopter last week. The president is to mark the
anniversary on Friday at a solemn ceremony and church service in
Minsk. (...)

Gorbachev recalls struggle to cope with Chernobyl

By Timothy Heritage, Moscow, April 26 (Reuter) - A solemn
Mikhail Gorbachev on Friday defended his handling of the nuclear
accident at Chernobyl exactly 10 years ago, but said the Soviet
leadership had been completely unprepared forsuch a disaster. "I
think we simply were not ready. Absolutely not," Gorbachev, who
was Soviet leader at the time of theaccident on April 26, 1986,
told a news conference. "If anything was not done, it was simply
because we did not know (what to do)." Remembering the long
nights he spent trying to deal with the world's worst nuclear
accident, he said:"Someone said that Gorbachev went grey in
those weeks. Yes, I did." Gorbachev, now 65, recalled presiding
over an emergency session of the Communist Party Politburo
assoon as word reached Moscow of the fire and explosion at the
Chernobyl power plant in Ukraine, which wasthen part of the
Soviet Union. Party leaders then met day and night, summoned top
scientists, consulted them constantly and set up aspecial
commission to investigate. But Gorbachev's account of the events
painted a picture of a whole country groping in the dark. It
took Moscow almost three days to admit the accident had
occurred, even though a cloud of radiation spreadacross Europe.
Western leaders criticised the Soviet authorities for failing to
tip off its own public and othercountries soon enough. The
West's reaction had suprised him, Gorbachev said, because the
Soviet leadership had not realised thefull implications of the
disaster. "Today they say we hid some things, kept them secret.
That is rubbish. We were short of information," hesaid. "I won't
say it was lack of responsiblity or fear. We acted seriously.
But we lacked information -- there were alot of things we did
not know...In this situation, something was neglected in the
early stages." Gorbachev resigned as Soviet president as the
Soviet Union broke up. He is trying to stage a politicalcomeback
by running for president in the June 16 election, though opinion
polls say he has no chance ofsuccess. Gorbachev made clear the
problems of dealing with a nuclear accident on a scale never
seen before hadcontinued long after the disaster. "Every week
and every month there were new surprises," he said. Hundreds of
thousands of "liquidators" were eventually sent to take part in
clean-up operations at Chernobyl. Ukrainian officials say there
is a direct link between the Chernobyl disaster and about 4,300
deaths. It alsoaffected the lives and health of a further 3.5
million people, they say. Gorbachev praised those who fought the
fire. "I want to recall the immense pain and suffering of those
whosuffered the first blows not knowing what, in fact, had
happened," he said. He said he now divided his life into the
periods before and after Chernobyl. The tragedy had affected the
livesof everyone, he said. Some experts say the Chernobyl
disaster, in the long term, played a major role in developing
his policy of"glasnost," or openness. Gorbachev said it had
helped the cause of nuclear disarmament, paving the way to arms
control treaties with the United States, although the process
still had some way to go.

List of Events:

JUNI:

5/31/96-1/2/96, Vilnius, Lithuania: ECOLOGIA Environmental
Russian-American NGO and The Institute for Foreign Policy
Analysis will be organizing a conference "Ethnic Dimensions to
Environmental Issues in the Baltics". Contact:
ecologia@glas.apc.org, Oleg Cherp

5/30/96 - 6/14/96 Istanbul, Turkey HABITAT II NGO FORUM The
international community of NGOs is coming together for a global
meeting at the NGO Forum '96 between May 30 and June 11. The NGO
Forum is to take place concurrently within Habitat II, the UN
Conference on Human Settlements, between June 3 and June 14.
Language: Contact: NGO Forum '96, 230 Mecidiyekoy, 80303
Istanbul, Turkey, tel: 90-212-243-6354, fax: 90-212-252-9350,
e-mail: ngo96@ibm.net

6/01.- 06/17.96 Braunschweig/Weissrussland: Internationale
Begegnung, Arbeitseinsatz mit Berufsschuelern und Handwerkern in
Nadesha in Weissrussland, VA: Haus Kirchlicher Dienste
BraunschweigRiddagshausen

6/01.-06/04.96. Braunschweig/Weissrussland: Informationsreise,
VA: Haus Kirchlicher Dienste Braunschweig-Riddagshausen

6/3/96 Guildford, Surrey, United Kingdom RISK IN A MODERN
SOCIETY: LESSONS FROM EUROPE, THE 1996 ANNUAL MEETING OF THE
SOCIETY FOR RISK ANALYSIS Bio-technology and Risk, Industrial
Risk and Insurance, Risk Communication, New Trends in Risk
Analysis Language: English Contact: Mrs. Jean Libaert, Centre
for Environmental Strategy, University of Surrey, Guildford, GU2
5XH, United Kingdom, tel: 44-1483-259-047, fax: 44-1483-259-394,
e-mail: J.Libaert@surrey.ac.uk

6/3/96 - 6/5/96 Amsterdam, The Netherlands A THREE DAY INTENSIVE
COURSE ON INDUSTRIAL BIOLOGICAL WASTEWATER TREATMENT SYSTEMS -
DESIGN, OPERATION, OPTIMIZATION, COMPLIANCE The goal of the
course is to help understand the biological processes involved
in secondary wastewater treatment. Language: English Contact:
The Center for Professional Advancement, Oudezijds Voorburgwal
316A, 1012 GM Amsterdam, The Netherlands, tel: 31-20-638-2806,
fax: 31-20-620-2136

6/3/96 - 6/5/96 Amsterdam, The Netherlands A THREE DAY PRACTICAL
COURSE WITH CASE STUDIES ON RECLAMATION OF CONTAMINATED LAND The
main topics are design and implementation of remedial measures
at industrial plant and waste disposal sites. Language: English
Contact: The Center for Professional Advancement, Oudezijds
Voorburgwal 316A, 1012 GM Amsterdam, The Netherlands, tel:
31-20-638-2806, fax: 31-20-620-2136

6/4/96 - 6/7/96 Banska Bystrica, Slovak Republic ENVIROFILM "96
2nd International Festival of Environmental Films, TV Programs,
and Video Records. Language: Contact: SAZP, Tajovskeho 28, 975
90 Banska Bystrica, Slovak Republic, tel: 42-88-735131, fax:
42-88-35214

6/8/96 - 6/16/96 Nijenrode University, The Netherlands 3RD
INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMME ON THE MANAGEMENT OF SUSTAINABILITY The
objective of the programme is to provide and understanding of
the dynamics of the sustainability process and of its relevance
to business and government. At the end of the 8 days
participants will have developed a knowledge of the strategies,
techniques, and tools necessary to manage sustainability.
Language: Contact: Ida Koppen, Sustainability Challenge
Foundation, P.O.Box 11627, NL 2502 AP, The Hague, The
Netherlands, tel: 31-70-339-4722, fax: 31-70-339-1308

6/10/96 - 6/12/96 Amsterdam, The Netherlands A THREE DAY
INTENSIVE COURSE ON BIOLOGICAL TREATMENT OF CONTAMINATED SOIL
AND GROUNDWATER The course provides a thourough overview of the
basis of biodegradation and of environmental microbiology.
Topics include: contaminant sources and movement, regulations,
containment sampling, and reclamation. Language: English
Contact: The Center for Professional Advancement, Oudezijds
Voorburgwal 316A, 1012 GM Amsterdam, The Netherlands, tel:
31-20-638-2806, fax: 31-20-620-2136

6/10/96 - 6/13/96 Amsterdam, The Netherlands A FOUR DAY
INTENSIVE COURSE ON INCINERATION PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE The
course will focus on applications in the petrochemical,
pharmaceutical, municipal, solid waste and biological
sludge/waste water, military and other industries. Language:
English Contact: The Center for Professional Advancement,
Oudezijds Voorburgwal 316A, 1012 GM Amsterdam, The Netherlands,
tel: 31-20-638-2806, fax: 31-20-620-2136

6/10/96 - 6/12/96 Warsaw, Poland WASTE CARE '96, INTERNATIONAL
CONFERENCE ON INDUSTRIAL WASTE MANAGEMENT The conference will
provide a qualified meeting place for those involved and will
address all professionals engaged in the field: industry,
research, public and private service organizations and
authorities. The final program will be available in February
1996. Language: Contact: ISWA, Bremerholm 1, 1069 Copenhagen K,
Denmark, tel: 45-33-914491, fax: 45-3391-9188, or FSO, ul.
Jagiellonska 88, 00-992 Warszawa, Poland, tel: 48-22-113-123,
fax: 48-22-113-123

6/13.-6/17.96. Braunschweig/Weissrussland: Informationsreise,
VA: Haus Kirchlicher Dienste Braunschweig-Riddagshausen

6/14.-6/16.96. Buechel: Blockade des US Atombombenlagers in
Buechel (Eifel) Kontakt: Atomteststopp-Kampagne, Rolasnd Blach,
Kochstr. 32, 70806 Kornwestheim, Tel.: 07154/22026

6/15.-6/23.96: "SonnenWende `96" - Energiewende-Aktionen fuer
eine Ausrichtung unserer gesamten Energieversorgung auf
erneuerbare Energietraeger ("Solarwirtschaft"), KO: Kampagne
Sonnige Zeiten, c/o Michael Bilharz, Steinweg 26, 93059
Regensburg, Tel. 0941/86521, Fax: 0941/9432242 oder
Jugendumweltbuero RLP, c/o Marek Sander, Postfach 1647, 55006
Mainz, Tel. 06131/236767, Fax: 06131/236115

6/18.96. USA/Nevada: "Rebound", sog. "subkritischer" Atomtest
300 m unter der Wueste von Nevada. Die Atomtests (der zweite
folgt im September) werden von den USA als "Experimente"
betitelt, da keine Kettenreaktion stattfindet.

6/17/96 - 6/21/96 Krakow, Poland DEVELOPMENT WITH SUSTAINABLE
USE OF ELECTRICITY NATO Science Program Language: Contact: Prof.
J.S. Norgard, Technical University of Denmark, Physics Dept.,
Bldg. 309, 2800 Lyngby, Denmark, fax: 45-45-931-669

6/23/96 - 6/29/96 Edinburgh, Scotland, UK INTERNATIONAL
SYMPOSIUM ON THE NON-MARKET BENEFITS OF FORESTRY Participants in
this Symposium will explore the latest developments in measuring
and valuing the non-market outputs of forestry, and examine how
best to use information in making decisions about forest
management. Language: English Contact: Ann Alexander, Forestry
Commission, 231 Corstorphine Road, Edinburgh EH12 7AT, Scotland,
United Kingdom, tel: 44-131-334-0303, fax: 44-131-334-2819

6/22/96 - 6/27/96 Krasnoyarsk, Russia: THIRD INTERNATIONAL
RADIOECOLOGICAL CONFERENCE "The Fate of Spent Nuclear Fuel:
Problems and Reality", Veranstaltung der oertlichen
Umweltinitiative und der Administration der Region Krasnojarsk.,
Kontakt: Vladimir Micheev, Sergej A. Aritschin,
kras@glas.apc.org, nag@nature.krasnoyarsk.su; Ul.Lenina, room 5,
Krasnoyarsk 660049 Russia, Phone: +7-3912-27 87 52,
+7-39175-9-1581 (evenings), Fax: +7-3912-27 54 19.

6/24/96 - 6/26/96 Krasnoyarsk, Russia DEFENCE NUCLEAR WASTE
DISPOSAL IN RUSSIA: IMPLICATIONS FOR THE ENVIRONMENT, NATO
Science Program Language: Contact: Dr. M.J. Stenhouse, Intera
Information Technologies Ltd, 47 Burton St., Melton Mowbray,
Leicestershire, LE13 1AF, United Kingdom, fax: 44-1664-411-402,
e-mail: mstenhouse@intera.co.uk

6/26/96 - 6/28/96 Budapest, Hungary POWER-GEN '96 EUROPE
EXHIBITION AND CONFERENCE At the exhibition electric utilities
and their suppliers show their latest products and services.
Conference topics include: power generation technologies,
European energy trends and policies, environment, operating
plants, etc. Language: Contact: Marc V. Sterel, POWER-GEN Europe
'96, P.O.Box 9402, 3506 GK Utrecht, The Netherlands, tel:
31-30-650-963, fax: 31-30-650-928

6/27/96 - 6/29/96 Ulm, Germany 1ST EUROPEAN CONGRESS ON
RENEWABLE ENERGIES FOR REGIONS AND CITIES The congress aims at
the exchange and evaluation of experiences and makes the
provision of suggestions as to how renewable energies can be
introduced in regions and cities. Language: Contact: EUROSOLAR,
Plittersdorfer Strasse 103, D-53173 Bonn, Germany, fax:
49-228-361-279

6/30/96 Jerusalem, Israel "PRESERVATION OF OUR WORLD IN THE WAKE
OF CHANGE" 6TH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE The conference program
includes subjects under the broad heading of ecology,
environmental quality, social, legal, economic aspects and
environmental health. Language: Contact: Prof.Y.Steinberger,
ORTRA Ltd, P.O.Box 50432, Tel Aviv 61500, Israel, fax:
972-3-517-7888

JULI

7/1/96 - 7/5/96 Florence, Italy ENVIRONMENT IN EUROPE:
REGULATORY REFORM AND EU INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL AGREEMENTS,
SUMMER WORKSHOP Workshop topics include: the EU and
international environmental agreements, global competition and
environmental regulatory reform, world trade and greening of the
CAP, EU joint implementation for CO2 reduction, etc. Language:
Contact: Robert Schuman Centre, European University Institute,
Via dei Roccettini 9, 50016 San Domenico di Fiesole (FI), Italy,
tel: 39-55-468-5370, fax: 39-55-468-5330

7/1/96 - 7/4/96 Amsterdam, The Netherlands A FOUR DAY INTENSIVE
COURSE ON LOSS PREVENTION IN THE PROCESS INDUSTRIES The course
will focus on principles and applications of loss prevention in
the process industries. Language: English Contact: The Center
for Professional Advancement, Oudezijds Voorburgwal 316A, 1012
GM Amsterdam, The Netherlands, tel: 31-20-638-2806, fax:
31-20-620-2136

7/2/96 - 7/17/96 Russia RUSSIAN FIELD SEMINAR FOR SCIENTISTS AND
POST GRADUATES Researchers and post graduates are invited to
participate in a field seminar in a forest camp in the Ural
mountains with an international group of colleagues. Language:
English, Russian Contact: Ecologia Foundation, The Park, Forres,
Morayshire, Scotland, IV36 OTZ, United Kingdom, tel/fax:
44-1309-690-995, e-mail: youth@findhorn.org

7/6/96 - 7/11/96 Salzburg, Austria SEMINAR ON SUSTAINABLE
AGRICULTURE Areas of focus will include agricultural policy at
the local, national and international levels, education and
research, institutional commitment to the sustainability of food
and environmental systems, options for the future, etc.
Language: Contact: Salzburg Seminar, Schloss Leopoldskron, Box
129, 5010 Salzburg, Austria, tel: 43-662-839-830, fax:
43-662-839-837, e-mail: info@fc.salsem.org

7/8/96 - 7/19/96 Prague, Czceh Republic EPIDEMIOLOGICAL METHODS
IN PUBLIC HEALTH, THIRD SUMMER SCHOOL FOR CENTRAL AND EASTERN
EUROPE Workshops include: environmental health priority setting,
advanced statistical methods, research management, training the
trainers. Language: English Contact: Phoebe Roome, London School
of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, London WC1E 7HT,
United Kingdom, tel: 44-171-927-2278, fax: 44-171-323-4562,
e-mail: P.Roome@LSHTM.ac.uk, telex: 8953474

6/15 - 6/23 1996 of June the actionweek "Sonne-Energiewende"
will be organised. Info: M. Sander.

7/29 - 8/12/96 environmental biketour " Gegenwind"
(counterwind). The route goes from Garzweiler to Ahaus. Info:
Graf Adolfstrasse 7-9, 40878 Ratingen  Tel. +49-2101-910623

In the summer a Sustainable Energy Tour will take place in
different countries in Europe during 2 or 3 months. A group of
people will give workshops on renewables and make music and
theatre.Org: SET, Merzhauserstrasse 150/07, D-79100 Freiburg
Tel. + 49-761 407100 Email: set@oln.comlink.apc.org

7/12.-7/13..96 Unterschleissheim: 10jaehriges Bestehen der
Gruppe Muetter gegen Atomkraft, Unterschleissheim

7/12/96 - 7/20/96 Straubing, Germany SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY TO
SAVE AND BETTER UTILIZE CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE'S FORESTS
NATO Science Program Language: Contact: Prof. R.M. Gutkowski,
Colorado State University, Dept. of Civil Engineering, Fort
Collins, CO 80523, USA, fax: 1-970-491-7727, e-mail:
gutkowski@vines.colostate.edu

7/16/96 - 7/19/96 Jurmala, Latvia 27TH ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL
CONFERENCE ON SIMULATION AND GAMING FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
The International Simulation and Gaming Association (ISAGA) is a
worldwide network of professionals working on and using
simulation/gaming in education, training and research.
Simulation/gaming provides a low-risk context in which the
effects of decisions can be experienced and examined, thus
leading to an understanding of the challenges of sustainable
development. Language: Contact: Valdis Bisters, ISAGA '96,
University of Latvia Ecological Center, Rainis blvd. 19, Riga
1586, Latvia, tel: 371-7-225-304, fax: 371-7-225-039, e-mail:
root@cesams.edu.lv

7/22.96. Morsleben: Protestcamp gegen das Endlager, VA:
Niedersaechsisch-sachsen-anhaltisches Aktionsbuendnis, KO: BI
gegen das Endlager fuer radioaktive Abfaelle Morsleben,
Harsdorfer Str. 49, 39110 Magdeburg, Tel. 0391/731598-0, Fax:
0391/731598-2

7/29.-8/12.96. "Gegenwind", Umweltradtour von Garzweiler nach
Ahaus, Kontakt: "Gegenwind", Graf-Adolf-Strasse 7-9, 40878
Ratingen, Tel.: 02102/9106-23, e-mail:
bernd.harmsen@WIREPOOL.ruhr.de

August:

8/11/96 Copenhagen Denmark IFOAM '96 SCIENTIFIC CONFERENCE &
FIRST ORGANIC WORLD EXHIBITION The conference will show the
state of organic agriculture world wide and will work on
questions like the future direction of organic agriculture.
Topics include: farming, sustainable forestry, protection of the
natural resources, animal welfare, formal and informal
education, etc. Language: English Contact: IFOAM'96, Blegdamsvej
4, DK-2200 Copenhagen N, Denmark, tel: 45-3537-2096, fax:
45-3537-4096, e-mail: ifoam96@login.dknet.

8/15/96 - 9/8/96 Budapest, Hungary NATUREXPO '96 INTERNATIONAL
EXHIBITION AND TRADE FAIR Naturexpo Exhibition will showcase
nature in all aspects, including environmental protection
technologies, products, and planning, nature conservation and
national park management, eco-tourism, etc. Special programs
will include photo, stamp and art exhibitions, equestrian events
and an archery competition. Language: Contact: Naturexpo '96
Rt., Logodi u. 22-24, 1012 Budapest, Hungary, tel:
36-1-201-4210, fax: 36-1-175-6247, e-mail: hencsey@sztaki.hu

8/16/96 - 8/19/96 Sokoro region, Hungary "OUR COMMON
RESPONSIBILITY TO PROTECT THE CREATED WORLD", CONFERENCE ON
SUSTAINABLE ENVIRONMENT AND DEVELOPMENT Topics include: ways to
change the unsustainable customs of production and consumption,
the importance of biodiversity, traditional ways of living and
the role of religious organizations in sustainability. Language:
Contact: Tibor Enyingi, Sokoro Ecological Park Foundation,
Babits Mihaly ut 7/b, Gyor 9024, Hungary, tel/fax: 36-96-326-678

22.-25., Amsterdam Netherlands: International Congress of
Engineers and Scientists, Challenges of Sustainable Development:
Ethical basis, Ecological reform of economy, Industry and
sustainability, Regional approaches, Confronting unequal
development. organized by the International Network of Engineers
and Scientists for Global Responsibility (INES), in cooperation
with the University of Amsterdam, the Wuppertal Institute for
Climate, Environment and Energy and the International Federation
of Commercial, Clerical, Professional and Technical Employees
(FIET). The Congress on Internet:
http://www.frt.fy.chalmers.se/amsterdam (on-line registration,
hotel reservation); submission of abstracts to ines@sara.nl.
Congress Secretariat, Mr. Reiner Braun, P.O.Box 101707, 44017
Dortmund, Germany, Teloe: +49-231-103825/26, Fax:
+49-231-103869, e-mail: uphc01@ux1.hrz.uni-dortmund.de.

25. Prague, Czech Republic: CHISA '96, 12TH INTERNATIONAL
CONGRESS OF CHEMICAL AND PROCESS ENGINEERING Congress topics
include: Reaction engineering, Separation processes and
equipment, Hydraulic processes and equipment, Powders and
solids, Technology management, etc. Language: English, Contact:
CHISA '96, Na drackach 13, 162 00 Praha 6, Czech Republic, tel:
42-235-3287, fax: 42-231-15529, e-mail: chisa@icpf.cas.cz

8/26/96 - 8/30/96 Bonn, Germany TOWARDS SUSTAINABLE LAND USE,
INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE The program will focus on soil
conservation and sustainable land use, other forms of soil
degradation - assessment, prevention and rehabilitation,
influence of demographic, socio-economic and cultural factors,
innovations in approaches, technologies and practices. Language:
English Contact: Mr. A. Klein, Federal Environmental Agency, FG
II 3.2 / Soil Quality, P.O.Box 33 00 22, 14191 Berlin, Germany,
tel: 49-30-231-45-746, fax: 49-30-229-3096, e-mail:
100434.1121@compuserve.com

8/26/96 - 8/29/96 Budapest, Hungary INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON
SUSTAINABLE USE OF BIOLOGICAL RESOURCES Conference themes
include: biodiversity and nature conservation, wildlife and
freshwater fish conservation and management, eco-tourism and
conservation. Language: English Contact: Dr. Gusztav Hencsey,
Computer and Automation Research Institute, HAS, Kende u. 13-17,
H-1111 Budapest, Hungary, tel: 36-1-181 0511, fax: 36-1-186
9378, e-mail: hencsey@sztaki.hu

8/27/96 - 8/30/96 Stara Lesna, Slovak Republic CURRENT
TECHNIQUES IN THE ALPINE ECOLOGICAL RESEARCH, 2ND MEETING The
meeting is intended to bring together specialists from around
the world to address the state of current ecological methods in
the high altitude areas. Language: Contact: Dr. Marian Janiga,
TANAP Research Center, 059 60 Tatranska Lomnica, Slovak
Republic, tel: 42-968-61165, fax: 42-969-967951, email:
janiga@tanap.ta3.sk

September:

9/1/96 - 9/1/96 Altenburg, Germany GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL TRADE
FAIR EUROPE '96 East meets West to buy and sell products and
services for sewer maintenance, liquid waste handling,
industrial cleaning, and portable sanitation. Language: Contact:
Global Environmental Trade Fairs, Inc., 1586 West Bass Lake
Road, P.O.Box 575, Eagle River WI 54521, USA, tel:
1-715-479-3828, fax: 1-715-479-2296, e-mail:
globlsan@newnorth.net

9/10/96 - 9/13/96 Ostrava, Czech Republic 5TH INTERNATIONAL
SYMPOSIUM ON THE RECLAMATION, TREATMENT AND UTILIZATION OF COAL
MINING WASTE AND 3RD CONFERENCE ON ENVIRONMENT AND MINERAL
PROCESSING Language: Contact: Dr. Peter Fecko, Institute of
Environmental Engineering, VSB - Technical University of
Ostrava, 17 Listopadu St., 708 33 OstravaPoruba, Czech Republic,
tel: 42-69-699-3577, fax: 42-69-691-8589

9/10/96 - 9/13/96 Cardiff, United Kingdom: INTERNATIONAL
CONFERENCE ON BARRAGES, ENGINEERING DESIGN AND ENVIRONMENTAL
IMPACTS It is intended that the conference will cover the
following topics: planning, legislative framework, environmental
impact assessment, cost benefit analysis. Lang.: English,
Contact: Wallingford Training, HR Wallingford Ltd., Howbery
Park, Wallingford, Oxfordshire, OX10 8BA, United Kingdom, tel:
44-1491-835-381, fax: 44-1491-826-703

9/10/96 - 9/13/96 Warsaw, Poland: THIRD INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM
AND EXHIBITION ON ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINATION IN CENTRAL AND
EASTERN EUROPE Technical focus areas are: site restoration and
remediation, waste treatment and disposal, environmental
monitoring, site characterization, containment and control,
human health and risk assessment. Contact: Warsaw '96 Symposium,
Florida State University, 2035 East Paul Dirac Drive, 226 HMB,
Tallahassee, FL 32310-3700, USA, tel: 1-904-644-5524, fax:
1-904-574-6704, e-mail: Warsaw96@mailer.fsu.edu; WWW:
http://www.ispa.fsu.edu/warsaw/warsaw96.html

9/22/96 - 9/25/96 Zurich, Switzerland: ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMISTRY
OF ORGANIC POLLUTANTS, A COURSE ON EXPOSURE ASSESSMENT OF
CHEMICALS Objectives of the course: to educate managers involved
in environmental research and/or decision making processes in
connection with risk evaluation and risk assessment, to discuss
recent achievements in national as well as international
environmental chemistry research, and to utilise acquired
knowledge in a practical exercise. Language: English; Contact:
EERO Training Centre, P.O.Box 182, NL-6700 AD Wageningen, The
Netherlands, tel: 31-317-482796, fax: 31-317-484941

9/23/96. Prague, Czech Republic: ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
ASSESSMENT, 3RD INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE The conference will
focus on practical aspects and latest experience in the field of
environmental impact assessment of all human activities on air,
water, soil, waste, ecosystems and health. Language: English,
Czech, Contact: J. Knapek, "ZP 96", Dept. of Physics, FEL CVUT,
Technicka 2, 166 27 Prague 6, Czech Republic, fax:
422-2431-0784, e-mail: ZP96@FELD.CVUT.CZ

9/26/96 - 9/28/96, Bratislava, Slovakia: Third International
Conference on "Ethics and Environmental Policies" - "New Europe
and the Environmental Issues". Contact: Academia Istropolitana,
P.O. Box; 92, Hanulova 5/B, 840 02 Bratislava 42 (Slovakia);
"Fondazione Lanza" <lanza@ipdunidx.unipd.it>

Oktober:

10/1/96. Trento, Italy: SECOND SESSION OF EUROPEAN
INTER-GOVERNMENTAL CONSULTATION ON SUSTAINABLE MOUNTAIN
DEVELOPMENT Agenda 21 follow-up, Contact: IUCN European
Programme, Dr. Zbigniew Karpowicz, 219c Huntingdon Road,
Cambridge CB3 ODJ, United Kingdom

10/5/96 - 10/12/96. Salzburg, Austria: SEMINAR ON
NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS: TOWARD EFFECTIVE INTERNATIONAL
PARTNERSHIPS This session will explore the role of NGOs in a
global context, considering various models for effective
partnerships. At the same time, the session will also consider
the limitations of international networks, attempting to assess
which agendas have international os global relevance, and which
are most effective when left at the local level. Contact:
Salzburg Seminar, Schloss Leopoldskron, Box 129, 5010 Salzburg,
Austria, tel: 43-662-839-830, fax: 43-662-839-837, e-mail:
info@fc.salsem.org

10/17.-10/20.96 Freiburg: Umweltfilmfestival 13. Oekomedia,
Kontakt: Oekomedia Instiut, Habusburgerstr. 9a, 79104 Freiburg,
Tel.: 0761/52024, Fax: 0761/565724

10/23/96 - 10/25/96 Opatija, Croatia: INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS ON
ENERGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT - L.: English, Croatian, Contact:
D.Sc. Bernard Frankovic, Croatian Solar Energy Association,
Vukovarska 58, 51000 Rijeka, Croatia, tel: 385-51-514-562, fax:
385-51-514-562, e-mail: huse@rijeka.riteh.hr

10/31/96 - 11/4/96 Kalundborg and Copenhagen, Denmark: THIRD
EUROPEAN ROUNDTABLE ON CLEANER PRODUCTION Themes include:
environmental management initiatives, integration of cleaner
production in product and process development, local
environmental networks, environmental economics, education and
training, etc. Language: English; Roundtable Secretariat,
P.O.Box 25, Hareskovvej 15-19, 4400 Kalundborg, Denmark, tel:
45-53-51-00-55, fax: 45-53-51-22-55

November:

11/4/96 - 11/8/96 Antalya, Turkey: INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON
IN-SITU CONSERVATION OF PLANT GENETIC DIVERSITY; Contact: Dr.
Nusret Zencirci, Central Research Institute for Field Crops,
P.O.Box 226, 06042 Ulus, Ankara, Turkey, tel: 90-312-287-8957,
fax: 90-312-287-8958

List of Environment Related Events in Central and Eastern Europe
as of February 22, 1996, biweekly updates Compiled by the
Regional Environmental Center for Central and Eastern Europe. If
you would like your event listed here, send details to: Events
Database, IET, Regional Environmental Center, Miklos ter 1,
H-1035, Budapest, Hungary tel:+361.250.3401, fax:+361.250.3403,
e-mail: rec-info@rec.hu 

Contact: Mr. Timothy Murphy, Fax: (44-71) 338 6100 or (44-71)
496 6100

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Die Region Tjumen liegt oestlich des Urals und ist mehr als
dreimal so gross ist wie Frankreich. Es gliedert sich in die
drei Bezirke des eigentlichen Tjumen, der Chanty und Mansi und
der Jamal- Nenzen. Es besteht aus ausgedehnten Sumpfgebieten,
die im Sueden von Nadelwald durchbrochen werden. Der
Jamal-Nenzische Bezirk wird von baumloser Tundra beherrscht. Die
indigene Bevoelkerung besteht aus Chanty, Mansi und Wald-Nenzen
im Sueden, aus Nenzen, Komi und Selkupen im Norden. Durch den
Zuzug anderer Bevoelkerungsgruppen infolge der Stalinschen
Umsiedlungspolitik und der Oelfoerderung stellen die indigenen
BewohnerInnen nur noch 1,5% im Chanty-Mansisker Bezirk bzw. 10%
im Jamal-Nenzischen Bezirk dar. Da die Zugezogenen fast alle in
den Staedten leben, bilden auf dem Land die Indigenen dennoch
die Mehrheit. Der Schwerpunkt der Oelfoerderung ist der Bezirk
der Chanty und Mansi, den Schwerpunkt der Gasfoerderung bildet
der Jamal-Nenzische Bezirk.