Please find below:
(1) A letter by the American Hellenic Media Project (AHMP) as published by The Boston Globe; and
(2) the letter as originally submitted by AHMP.
(1)
THE BOSTON GLOBE
Sunday, September 5, 1999
Letters to the Editor, p. D6
Planned N-plant in Turkey would be a time bomb
Your initial reports on the earthquake in Turkey mentioned the alarming fact that US Energy Secretary Bill Richardson was in Istanbul at the time of the devastation but did not note that he was representing an American-led consortium that is seeking to build Turkey's first nuclear power plant just 13 miles from an active fault line.
Experts worldwide have warned of an enormous environmental risk if the plant is built. A study by Earthquake Forecasts said a nuclear accident in Turkey would be "horrific" - millions would be hit with lethal radiation.
While Tolga Yarman, a Turkish scientist, has warned that "Turkey is not ready for nuclear power," the United States is seeking to place an environmental time bomb there.
The proposed reactors have raised yet another fear. In 1981, Israeli jets bombed Iraq's Osirak reactor to avert an Iraqi nuclear weapons program. Now concerns are being raised about the likelihood that Turkey, already a highly militarized state, might use this technology for a nuclear weapons program.
A nuclear Turkey would guarantee an arms race in one of the world's most unstable regions.
P.D. SPYROPOULOS, director
American Hellenic Media Project
New York
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(2)
Earthquake A Nuclear Wake Up Call
by P. D. Spyropoulos
Your reports have ignored the alarming fact that U.S. Energy Secretary Bill Richardson was in Istanbul during Turkey's devastating earthquake representing an American-led consortium seeking to build Turkey's first nuclear power plant just 13 miles from an active fault line.
Experts worldwide have warned of an enormous environmental risk being taken by Turkey if the plant is built. A recent study by Earthquake Forecasts emphasized that reactors posed an "unacceptable level of risk" and that a nuclear accident would be "horrific - millions of people in Turkey and surrounding areas [would be] hit with disabling and lethal radiation."
While prominent Turkish scientist Tolga Yarman has warned that "Turkey is not ready for nuclear power", the U.S. is pursuing its bid to place an environmental time-bomb in the eastern Mediterranean.
The proposed reactors have raised yet another fear. In 1981, Israeli jets bombed Iraq's Osirak reactor to avert an Iraqi nuclear weapons program. Now concerns are being raised about the likelihood of Turkey, already a highly militarized state, using the acquisition of this sensitive technology for a nuclear weapons program.
A nuclear Turkey will guarantee an arms race in one of the world's most unstable regions. Moreover, Turkey's escalating military adventurism against virtually all of its neighbors demonstrates that placing nuclear power into the hands of governments that have not yet developed the maturity to harness it will likely translate into the greatest global security threat of the coming century.
_________________
P. D. Spyropoulos is an attorney and the Executive Director of the American Hellenic Media Project, a non-profit think-tank created to address bias in the media and encourage independent, ethical and responsible journalism. Letters and commentaries by Mr. Spyropoulos have been published in The Baltimore Sun, The Boston Globe, The Christian Science Monitor, The Daily Telegraph, The Economist, El Nuevo Herald (Miami), Forbes Global, The Irish Times, The New York Post, The New York Times, The New York Times Magazine, The Orlando Sentinel, The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, The Plain Dealer, The St. Petersburg-Times (Fla.), The Tampa Tribune, The Toronto Sun, USA Today, The Village Voice, and The Washington Times.
American Hellenic Media Project
PO Box 1150
New York, NY 10028-0008
ahmp@hri.org
www.ahmp.org