GRS 240 CONFIDENTIAL
FM BRUSSELS
TO DESKBY 19090OZ FCO
TELNO 132
OF 161435Z MAY 86
INFO IMMEDIATE UKREP EC
CONFIDENTIAL
76
INFO SAVING MOSCOW, BLEGRADE BUCHAREST, BUDAPEST, PRAGUE, SOFIA INFO SAVING WARSAW, EUCOM
SUMMARY
YOUR TELNO 180 TO ROME: CHERNOBYL : EC BAN ON FOOD FROM EASTERN EUROPE
Han 2186/1
RECEIVED IN REGISTRY
19 MAY 1986*
DESK OFFICER
INDEX
PA
REGISTRY
Action Taken
1.
THE BELGIANS ARE FOR BOTH PUBLIC OPINION AND SCIENTIFIC REASONS UNLIKELY TO FAVOUR EARLY RELAXATION OF THE BAN, BUT NO FORMAL GOVERNMENT POSITION HAS YET BEEN FORMULATED.
DETAIL
2.
SPECIFIC DATA ON THE LEVEL OF RESIDUAL RADIATION IN EASTERN EUROPE ARE NOT PUBLICLY AVAILABLE: GENERAL ADVICE TO TRAVELLERS IS GIVEN ON THE SAME LINES AS OUR OWN.
3.
A
PUBLIC INTEREST IN RADIATION LEVELS IN EASTERN EUROPE IS TO JUDGE FROM THE PRESS MINIMAL, ALTHOUGH INTEREST IN POLITICAL ASPECTS AND LOCAL RADIATION LEVELS CONTINUES VIRTUALLY UNABATED. MEASURE OF THIS IS THAT THE MARKET FOR FRESH LOCAL VEGETABLES HAS BEEN DEPRESSED SINCE THE ACCIDENT AND SHOWS NO SIGN OF PICKING UP. IT IS HARD TO ASSESS PUBLIC OPINION SPECIFICALLY ON THE FOOD BAN WHICH WAS REPORTED WITH LITTLE PRESS COMMENT EXCEPT TO LAMENT THE TIME IT HAD TAKEN FOR THE COMMUNITY TO AGREE IT. (DE BELDER IN THE FOREIGN MINISTRY COMMENTED THAT REPRESENTATIVES OF EASTERN EUROPEAN MISSIONS HERE WHO HAD CALLED TO PROTEST ABOUT THE BAN HAD PRIVATELY CONCEDED THAT THEIR SALES WOULD HAVE BEEN BADLY HIT WHETHER OR NOT THE BAN HAD BEEN INTRODUCED).
4.
THE SERVICE SCIENTIFIQUE AT THE MFA HAVE TOLD US THAT THEY ARE TRYING TO ENSURE THAT POLICY ON THE BAN IS DECIDED ON PURELY SCIENTIFIC GROUNDS. MLLE HERPELS TOLD US THAT SHE HAS RECEIVED RECENT INFORMATION THAT CERTAIN EASTERN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES HAVE CONCEALED TRUE RADIATION LEVELS IN FOOD FOR EXPORT, SO SHE IS NOT DISPOSED TO FAVOUR EARLY RELAXATION OF THE BAN AT PRESENT.
PETRIE
FRAME GENERAL.
ECD () ECD(E)
NED EED
CONFIDENTIAL
REPEATED AS REQUESTED
*.
N
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