FRENCH NUCLEAR TESTS IN THE PACIFIC

Mr Low Thia Khiang asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs what is the response of the Singapore government to the French government's announcement of its intention to conduct nuclear tests in the Pacific.

Prof. S. Jayakumar: Singapore is fully committed to nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation. As a small country, it is in our interest to prevent the proliferation of all forms of weapons of mass destruction. Singapore supported the indefinite extension of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) at the recent NPT Review and Extension Conference precisely because we believe that a strengthened and permanent NPT would contribute to the international disarmament and non-proliferation regime. At that Conference, Singapore also called for the early conclusion of a Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. Singapore will continue to work actively with other countries towards the achievement of this goal.

When the French Charge d_Affaires informed the the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 14th June 1995 of his country_s intention to resume nuclear testing, Singapore_s concerns were conveyed to him. On 30th June 1995, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reiterated formally its concerns about the French decision to resume testing in the Pacific to the French Ambassador in Singapore. We stressed the need for all nuclear powers, including France, to abide by the agreement reached at the NPT Review and Extension Conference to exercise the utmost restraint pending the conclusion of a Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty in 1996.