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| Africa North | |
| German opposition to French-Libyan nuclear deal unabated | |
| 2007-07-31 | |
German opposition mounted Saturday to French President Nicolas Sarkozy's new venture on the world stage in agreeing to build a nuclear reactor in Libya, despite efforts by Paris to reassure Berlin. The French government on Friday had sought to allay German fears of "recklessness" by assuring Berlin that all guarantees had been taken with regard to nuclear non-proliferation.
Polenz said the deal that Sarkozy signed Wednesday in Tripoli would weaken the European Union's ability to take action in foreign politics. In addition, Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi, "a dictator with unlimited powers", remains a "security risk for all those who have anything to do with his country," Polenz said. The German lawmaker added that in light of the ongoing conflict with Iran over its nuclear programme, it was "very naive to now give Kadhafi such an advantage, compared to Tehran." The only guarantee "that uranium will not be used for military purposes in the country" is that Libya is supposed to return to France all used fuel, he said. German officials were also opposed to the deal on environmental grounds, as Germany has a strong anti-nuclear lobby and plans to phase out nuclear power by 2020. Before finalising the deal with Libya, "France must immediately consult with the European Union, Germany and the IAEA," referring to the UN nuclear watchdog International Atomic Energy Agency, said German Eurodeputy Elmar Brok in the Frankfurter Rundschau newspaper. Sarkozy signed the memorandum on building a nuclear reactor the day after Tripoli freed six foreign medics from jail after an eight-year ordeal. Sarkozy's wife Cecilia had participated in the final negotiations. Brok also commented on that saying the medics' release "was not due to the work of the Sarkozy family alone but also the concerted effort of all the European Union." | |
| Posted by:lotp |
| #1 Sarkozy has gone off his rocker in only his first few months. Why would he want to impress Libya and depress everyone else (EU, USA, etc.) not to forget Israel. Of all the nut cases out there who absolutely, positively doesn't need a nuke is Mohamar Qaddafi. When its finished I wonder if Sarkozy will give us fly over permission for our B2's to bomb the damn thing? |
| Posted by: Jack is Back! 2007-07-31 16:57 |