ID :
172280
Thu, 03/31/2011 - 18:24
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/172280
The shortlink copeid
Kan, Sarkozy agree to set new int'l nuclear safety rules+
TOKYO (Kyodo) - Japan and France agreed Thursday that they will cooperate in crafting new international nuclear safety standards by the end of this year, following the continuing crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant triggered by the devastating March 11 earthquake and ensuing tsunami.
The agreement was reached during talks in Tokyo between Prime Minister Naoto Kan and French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who became the first foreign leader to visit Japan since the twin natural disasters that obliterated northeastern coastal towns.
The two leaders told a joint news conference after their meeting that nuclear issues will top the agenda at the Group of Eight summit in late May, when leaders also from Britain, Canada, Germany, Italy, Russia and the United States will gather in the northwestern French resort city of Deauville.
Sarkozy, who is G-8 chair this year, said he will try to release a communique on nuclear safety at the forthcoming summit.
''Our country's experience of this nuclear accident is very painful,'' Kan said. ''But to prevent a recurrence of this kind of thing, I believe that we are obliged to share this experience accurately with countries all over the world.''
Kan said Sarkozy had asked him to speak on the accident at the nuclear plant at the outset of the G-8 summit.
Sarkozy said the problem with nuclear energy is that ''there are no global common rules.''
''We need to improve safety standards, not discuss whether we should choose to stop introducing nuclear energy,'' Sarkozy said.
The president said he promised to provide assistance to Japan, not only as the leader of France but also as the chair of the G-8 and the Group of 20 leading industrialized and emerging economies.
He said France wants to organize a meeting of G-20 nuclear safety authorities in May and reflect the results at a ministerial conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency in June.
He also said that France, which relies on nuclear power for nearly 80 percent of its electricity, is committed to offering more of its expertise and special devices to help Japan contain radiation leaking out of the crippled complex, located around 220 kilometers from Tokyo.
Sarkozy's visit, his second to Japan since taking office in 2007, came as the level of radioactive iodine detected in seawater near the plant has reached its highest reading yet at 4,385 times the legal limit.
The IAEA has also said that radiation measured at the village of Iitate, about 40 kilometers from the nuclear plant, surpassed its criterion for evacuation.
When Sarkozy's visit was requested soon after the twin disasters, which have left more than 27,000 people dead or missing, the Japanese government was not sure whether Kan would be able to hold talks with any foreign leader amid the emergency situation.
But the government eventually accepted the request as a trip to Tokyo by Sarkozy would provide a good opportunity to demonstrate to the people that Japan is not alone in its efforts to overcome what Kan has called the worst crisis in its postwar history, and also to show the international community that the country is safe enough to visit, officials said on condition of anonymity.
Sarkozy stopped briefly in Tokyo after taking part in a G-20 seminar on reshaping the global monetary system in the eastern Chinese city of Nanjing.
France has the second highest number of nuclear power stations after the United States. Japan has the third highest number, deriving about 30 percent of its power from nuclear reactors.
Sarkozy said nuclear power remains a viable source of energy and he believes it would be impossible to maintain current living conditions and slash carbon dioxide emissions without it.
Their talks lasted for about 50 minutes and the discussions almost entirely centered on issues related to the aftermath of the natural disasters, according to a Foreign Ministry official.
The pair did not discuss the latest situation in Libya but touched briefly on North Korea, the official said, adding that Kan welcomed the European Union's decision last week to consider beginning talks with Japan for a possible free trade deal.
The agreement was reached during talks in Tokyo between Prime Minister Naoto Kan and French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who became the first foreign leader to visit Japan since the twin natural disasters that obliterated northeastern coastal towns.
The two leaders told a joint news conference after their meeting that nuclear issues will top the agenda at the Group of Eight summit in late May, when leaders also from Britain, Canada, Germany, Italy, Russia and the United States will gather in the northwestern French resort city of Deauville.
Sarkozy, who is G-8 chair this year, said he will try to release a communique on nuclear safety at the forthcoming summit.
''Our country's experience of this nuclear accident is very painful,'' Kan said. ''But to prevent a recurrence of this kind of thing, I believe that we are obliged to share this experience accurately with countries all over the world.''
Kan said Sarkozy had asked him to speak on the accident at the nuclear plant at the outset of the G-8 summit.
Sarkozy said the problem with nuclear energy is that ''there are no global common rules.''
''We need to improve safety standards, not discuss whether we should choose to stop introducing nuclear energy,'' Sarkozy said.
The president said he promised to provide assistance to Japan, not only as the leader of France but also as the chair of the G-8 and the Group of 20 leading industrialized and emerging economies.
He said France wants to organize a meeting of G-20 nuclear safety authorities in May and reflect the results at a ministerial conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency in June.
He also said that France, which relies on nuclear power for nearly 80 percent of its electricity, is committed to offering more of its expertise and special devices to help Japan contain radiation leaking out of the crippled complex, located around 220 kilometers from Tokyo.
Sarkozy's visit, his second to Japan since taking office in 2007, came as the level of radioactive iodine detected in seawater near the plant has reached its highest reading yet at 4,385 times the legal limit.
The IAEA has also said that radiation measured at the village of Iitate, about 40 kilometers from the nuclear plant, surpassed its criterion for evacuation.
When Sarkozy's visit was requested soon after the twin disasters, which have left more than 27,000 people dead or missing, the Japanese government was not sure whether Kan would be able to hold talks with any foreign leader amid the emergency situation.
But the government eventually accepted the request as a trip to Tokyo by Sarkozy would provide a good opportunity to demonstrate to the people that Japan is not alone in its efforts to overcome what Kan has called the worst crisis in its postwar history, and also to show the international community that the country is safe enough to visit, officials said on condition of anonymity.
Sarkozy stopped briefly in Tokyo after taking part in a G-20 seminar on reshaping the global monetary system in the eastern Chinese city of Nanjing.
France has the second highest number of nuclear power stations after the United States. Japan has the third highest number, deriving about 30 percent of its power from nuclear reactors.
Sarkozy said nuclear power remains a viable source of energy and he believes it would be impossible to maintain current living conditions and slash carbon dioxide emissions without it.
Their talks lasted for about 50 minutes and the discussions almost entirely centered on issues related to the aftermath of the natural disasters, according to a Foreign Ministry official.
The pair did not discuss the latest situation in Libya but touched briefly on North Korea, the official said, adding that Kan welcomed the European Union's decision last week to consider beginning talks with Japan for a possible free trade deal.
