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Cyprus, Greek and Turkish groups unite to stop Turkish nuclear plant

Groups unit to call for halt to Turkish nuclear plant  Cyprus mail, By Evie Andreou, 12 May 15  The Mediterranean must not suffer a nuclear catastrophe like those seen in Chernobyl and Fukushima said organisations from Cyprus, Greece and Turkey that joined forces on Saturday to state their opposition to the construction of a nuclear power plant on Turkey’s southern coast.

The bicommunal Cyprus Anti-Nuclear Platform, in cooperation with environmental organisations from Turkey and the support of the European Greens, organised a conference in the buffer zone to discuss the negative impact a nuclear power plant would have in the Mediterranean region and signed a declaration urging Turkey to abort plans for the construction of the plant.

They also called for the formation of a Network for a Nuclear Free Mediterranean.

Key-note speaker at the event was Rebecca Harms, co-president of the Greens–European Free Alliance group in the European parliament. Also present were Cypriot MEPs, Environment Commissioner Ioanna Panayiotou, Green Party chairman George Perdikis and members of non-governmental organisations.

Speakers said that apart from the negative impact the power plant will have on the surrounding environment, it could also be a nuclear accident waiting to happen.

Turkey is no stranger to earthquakes as it sits on a seismically active area within the zone of collision between the Eurasian Plate and both the African and Arabian Plates.

Harms said that nuclear danger should not be added in an earthquake zone. She added that earthquake-prone countries like Greece and Italy do not have nuclear power plants and neither should Turkey.

The declaration states the opposition of “the inhabitants of the Mediterranean region… to the establishment of a nuclear power station in Akkuyu, Mersin for the sake of our safety and due to our responsibility to protect the living organisms and the ecosystem in the Mediterranean”.

It adds that Turkey’s plans to construct the nuclear power plant are outdated since they date back to the 1970s and that “not only does Turkey’s decision pose a risk to the future of the Mediterranean, but it also contravenes the Mediterranean Action Plan, established under the auspices of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)…, and the Barcelona Agreement… where Turkey is a member”……..http://cyprus-mail.com/2015/05/09/groups-unit-to-call-for-halt-to-turkish-nuclear-plant/

May 13, 2015 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | EUROPE, opposition to nuclear