2 Mar 2010

French Polynesia wants nuclear test reports declassified

10:03 pm on 2 March 2010

There is a fresh call for France to declassify documents about its nuclear weapons tests in the South Pacific.

This comes as an extraordinary session of the French Polynesian assembly has been called for later this week to discuss a French compensation law.

Walter Zweifel reports.

"The assembly president, Philip Schyle, has written an open letter to the French defence minister, Herve Morin, asking for confidential reports about the tests to be released, saying the more the truth is told the better the pages on the common history can be turned. Mr Schyle has also asked that more time be given for the assembly to state its position on a new French compensation law passed in December. While acknowledging for the first time that the French tests were not clean, the law has been widely criticised as inadequate."