MR. SPEAKER:

SINCE SEPTEMBER OF LAST YEAR, FRANCE RESUMED DETONATING NUCLEAR BOMBS IN CORAL ATOLLS IN THE SOUTH PACIFIC, DEFYING WORLDWIDE PROTESTS OF THIS CRIME AGAINST NATURE AND GLOBAL PEACE, WHILE TURNING A DEAF EAR TO THE PLEAS OF MILLIONS OF MEN, WOMEN AND CHILDREN WHO DEPEND ON THE FRAGILE MARINE ENVIRONMENT TO SUSTAIN THEIR BASIC RIGHT TO LIFE.

MR. SPEAKER, WHILE RECENT PRESS ACCOUNTS HAVE REVEALED THAT MORUROA ATOLL IS LEAKING CANCEROUS RADIOACTIVE WASTE INTO THE PACIFIC OCEAN, FRENCH PRESIDENT CHIRAC INTENDS TO ADDRESS A JOINT SESSION OF CONGRESS TOMORROW TO LECTURE AMERICA ON HOW WE CAN BETTER HANDLE OUR RESPONSIBILITIES TO THE WORLD.

AS A MEMBER OF BOTH THE PACIFIC ISLAND COMMUNITY AND THE U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, I FIND IT APALLING THAT ONE WHO SO ARROGANTLY AND SO OPENLY MARGINALIZES PACIFIC ISLAND PEOPLES AND THEIR WAY OF LIFE WILL BE AFFORDED THE HONOR OF DELIVERING HIS MESSAGE FROM A CHAMBER THAT SYMBOLICALLY REPRESENTS THE HIGHEST DEMOCRATIC VALUES.

I AND MY COLLEAGUES, THE HONORABLE PATSY MINK AND HONORABLE NEIL ABERCROMBIE OF HAWAII, AND THE DISTINGUISHED GENTLEMAN FROM GUAM, MR. UNDERWOOD, VIEW PRESIDENT CHIRAC'S APPEARANCE IN THE PEOPLE'S HOUSE AS A DIRECT AFFRONT AGAINST OUR NATION AND 160 OTHER COUNTRIES THAT HAVE OPPOSED FRANCE'S NUCLEAR TESTING. WE URGE THAT MEMBERS OF CONGRESS NOT ATTEND THURSDAY'S JOINT SESSION AS A PROTEST AGAINST PRESIDENT CHIRAC, WHO DETONATED SIX NUCLEAR BOMBS IN THE FACE OF INTERNATIONAL CONDEMNATION WHILE CALLOUSLY DISREGARDING THE ENVIRONMENTAL HARM FROM THEIR TESTING TO THE PEOPLE OF THE SOUTH PACIFIC.

WHILE I NOTE THAT PRESIDENT CHIRAC HAS RECENTLY ANNOUNCED AN END TO FRANCE'S NUCLEAR WEAPONS TESTS IN THE PACIFIC, I SERIOUSLY QUESTION WHETHER FRANCE'S WORD CAN BE TRUSTED.

FOUR YEARS AGO, FRANCE CALLED UPON THE WORLD TO JOIN A NUCLEAR TESTING MORATORIUM, WHICH IT ARBITRARILY BROKE IN THE NAME OF "NATIONAL INTEREST" BY DETONATING NUCLEAR BOMBS LAST YEAR. FRANCE'S CREDIBILITY IS SUSPECT. IN DECIDING TO RESUME NUCLEAR TESTING, THE GOVERNMENT OF FRENCH PRESIDENT JACQUES CHIRAC PROMISED THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY THERE WOULD BE "NO ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES" FROM THEIR NUCLEAR TESTS, AS RADIOACTIVE SUBSTANCES WOULD NOT BE DISCHARGED INTO THE SURROUNDING AIR AND SEA.

DESPITE THE INTENSE FEARS OF PACIFIC RESIDENTS THAT FRANCE'S NUCLEAR BOMB DETONATIONS OVER THE PAST 30 YEARS ARE LAYING THE GROUNDS FOR A MAJOR ENVIRONMENTAL TRAGEDY LIKE CHERNOBYL, THE FRENCH HAVE CAVALIERLY BRUSHED ASIDE THESE CONCERNS. THE FRENCH ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY HAS REPEATEDLY STATED THAT RADIOACTIVE SUBSTANCES FROM THEIR NUCLEAR TESTS ARE TRAPPED IN THE GROUND AND THERE IS NO DANGER OF RADIOACTIVE CONTAMINATION.

RECENTLY, FRANCE'S BIG LIE WAS REVEALED.

AFTER A JAPANESE NEWSPAPER BROKE THE STORY, MEDIA REPORTS CONFIRM THAT FRANCE NOW ACKNOWLEDGES THAT RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS HAVE, INDEED, LEAKED INTO THE SEA FROM THEIR RECENT NUCLEAR TESTS AT MORUROA ATOLL. RADIOACTIVE IODINE-131, WHICH IS CREATED BY NUCLEAR EXPLOSIONS AND CAUSES CANCER IN HUMANS, WAS DETECTED BY FRENCH OFFICIALS AFTER THE TESTS BUT WAS APPARENTLY COVERED UP. ONLY AFTER A FRENCH NUCLEAR SPECIALIST MISTAKENLY REVEALED THE INFORMATION DURING A CONFERENCE WAS THE RADIOACTIVE LEAKAGE BROUGHT TO LIGHT.

MR. SPEAKER, THIS JUST CONFIRMS WHAT WE ALL KNOW. THE FRENCH GOVERNMENT CANNOT BE TRUSTED TO TELL THE TRUTH. ONE WONDERS WHAT OTHER MONSTROSITIES THEY HAVE BEEN HIDING IN THE NAME OF "NATIONAL INTEREST."

ALTHOUGH THE FRENCH ROUTINELY DENY THAT THEIR NUCLEAR TESTS THREATEN THE HEALTH AND SAFETY OF PACIFIC RESIDENTS OR ENDANGER THE REGION'S FRAGILE MARINE ENVIRONMENT, DOCUMENTS FROM FRANCE'S ATOMIC ENERGY COMMISSION CONFIRM THAT AT LEAST THREE TESTS IN THE PAST HAVE ALSO LED TO RADIOACTIVE CONTAMINATION AT MORUROA ATOLL. SCIENTIFIC MISSIONS TO MORUROA -- ALTHOUGH SEVERELY RESTRICTED BY FRENCH AUTHORITIES IN TO THEIR ACCESS TO TEST SITES, TEST DATA ANDTIME FOR STUDY -- HAVE VERIFIED THE PRESENCE OF RADIOACTIVE ISOTOPES SUCH AS IODINE-131, CESIUM-134, TRITIUM, KRYPTON-85 AND PLUTONIUM. THE PRESENCE OF THESE RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS SUBSTANTIATE FEARS THAT LEAKAGE, VENTING AND ACCIDENTAL DISPERSAL OF RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS HAVE OCCURRED AT FRANCE'S TEST FACILITIES.

DESPITE FRANCE'S ASSURANCES TO THE CONTRARY, THESE REPORTS AND THE EVENTS OF YESTERDAY CONFIRM THAT FRANCE'S UNDERGROUND TESTING PROGRAM CANNOT ENSURE THAT RADIOACTIVE CONTAMINATION IS FULLY CONTAINED.

WHILE FRANCE'S DEFENSE MINISTER AND FOREIGN MINISTER DENOUNCE ACCOUNTS THAT MORUROA ATOLL HAS SUFFERED DEEP CRACKS AND FISSURING FROM THE NUCLEAR TESTING, A CONFIDENTIAL FRENCH DEFENSE MINISTRY STUDY DIRECTLY CONTRADICTS THEM. AS REPORTED IN TODAY'S WASHINGTON POST, THE FRENCH "GOVERNMENT HAS BEEN AWARE, AT LEAST SINCE 1979, THAT MURUROA'S UNDERWATER BASALT FOUNDATION IS FRACTURED IN SEVERAL PLACES." "THE REPORT DESCRIBED THE EFFECTS OF AN ACCIDENT IN 1979 IN WHICH THE FRENCH DETONATED A 150-KILOTON WEAPON ONLY 1,300 FEET BELOW THE SURFACE OF THE LAGOON. THE BLAST WAS SUPPOSED TO OCCUR AT 2,600 FEET, BUT THE BOMB GOT STUCK HALFWAY DOWN THE TEST SHAFT AND THE FRENCH DETONATED IT THERE RATHER THAN RISK TRYING TO MOVE IT. THE EXPLOSION BLASTED LOOSE MORE THAN 130 MILLION CUBIC YARDS OF ROCK AND CORAL, CAUSING A TIDAL WAVE THAT INJURED SEVERAL FRENCH SCIENTISTS AND GUARDS. THE DOCUMENT ALSO DESCRIBED UNDERWATER AVALANCHES THAT FOLLOWED THREE TESTS AS PROOF THE GROWING NUMBER OF TESTS WAS POSING SERIOUS ENVIRONMENTAL RISKS TO MURUROA ATOLL."

MR. SPEAKER, WITH FRENCH PRESIDENT CHIRAC EXPECTED TO ADDRESS CONGRESS SHORTLY, I WOULD URGE OUR COLLEAGUES TO PROTEST FRANCE'S NUCLEAR TESTING IN THE SOUTH PACIFIC BY NOT ATTENDING THE JOINT ADDRESS. FRENCH PRESIDENT CHIRAC, DUE TO THE RECKLESS POLICIES OF HIS ADMINISTRATION, SHOULD NOT HONORED BY OUR PRESENCE.