TL: Letter Delivered to French Ambassador to U.S. by Greenpeace Executive Director Barbara Dudley SO: Greenpeace USA DT: July 9, 1995 Keywords: letters nuclear weapons protests france us south pacific disarmement military gp / ----------------- Mr. Jacques Andreani Ambassador to the United States Embassy of France 4101 Reservoir Road Washington , D.C. 20007 Your Excellency: It is a tragic irony that on the evening we commemorate the 10th anniversary of the death of one of our companions in the bombing of the first Rainbow Warrior , the second Rainbow Warrior and its crew have come under attack from French commando forces in the Pacific. The Rainbow Warrior is back in Moruroa to peacefully protest the decision of your President Jacques Chirac to resume nuclear weapons testing. The attack by 150 commandos storming the ship and using tear gas was particularly and unnecessarily violent. We demand that your government cease and desist such acts of violence against peaceful protests. We urge that the three Americans and other international crew members who have been seized be treated fairly as non-violent protestors to the real crime planned for Moruroa - the explosion of eight more thermonuclear weapons in these fragile atolls. Greenpeace stands with the French people and other peoples in the world demanding that your government reconsider its outrageous decision to resume nuclear testing. We know that 75 percent of the French people last year opposed breaking the moratorium. We know that former French President Francois Mitterand has just asked Mr. Chirac to reconsider his decision. We know that the European Parliament has opposed the resumption of French testing. We know that the 170 governments around the world who signed the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty in May accepted France's promise to use the "utmost constraint" to avoid resumption of testing, and to work earnestly toward a Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. We know that the Pacific Forum and the people who live in the Pacific have urged France not to resume nuclear testing. We know that resumption of testing by France encourages proliferation by encouraging those who believe nuclear weapons are the measure of greatness in a country rather than the quality of its people or the wisdom of its leadership. We appeal to your wisdom and leadership to express the strong sense of outrage from the American people at Mr. Chirac's obvious misunderstanding of the world's political and moral opinion. His decision to resume nuclear weapons testing will endanger the Comprehensive Test Ban process, nullify the nuclear Non- Proliferation Treaty, endanger the health and safety of the people and the fragile ecosystem of the entire South Pacific region, and make relations with other countries around the world far more difficult for France. The violent attack on the Rainbow Warrior and its crew of peaceful protestors by the French Navy only separates France further from world opinion. It is an outrage against international concern and protest and the rights of world citizens to protect their world. As you celebrate your country's revolution to begin government by the people, urge your leadership to listen to those people. End your attacks on the Rainbow Warrior. End your plans to resume nuclear testing. The World is watching. With hope for peace, Barbara Dudley Executive Director Greenpeace in the United States