18 Dec 2006

Widow of Moruroa test veteran gets pension

12:38 pm on 18 December 2006

Veterans of the French nuclear weapons tests have welcomed last week's ruling by a tribunal to grant a full and backdated pension to a widow of a Frenchman who worked at the Moruroa test site.

The tribunal for military pension in Arras found that the lung cancer that killed career soldier Jean-Luc Norberciak in 1997 at the age of 48 was the result of his year-long posting to Moruroa.

During his posting from July 1979, 13 underground tests were carried out.

The government asked the tribunal to reject the widow's claim on the basis that Mr Norberciak worked in an area outside the immediate risk zone.

The test veterans' organisation, Moruroa e Tatou, says the ruling is a success for the test victims.

France has maintained its nuclear weapons tests were safe and clean.