Because of the nuclear tests
Macron: France is a "city" of French Polynesia
In 30 years, France carried out 193 nuclear tests.
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Macron: Victims of nuclear tests should receive greater compensation.
AFP
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French President Emmanuel Macron announced, yesterday, from Papeete (yesterday morning in Paris), that France is "indebted" to French Polynesia due to the nuclear tests conducted between 1966 and 1996 in the Pacific Ocean.
"I accept (the responsibility) and I want truth and transparency with you," Macron said in a speech to officials in Polynesia, stressing that the victims of these nuclear tests should receive greater compensation.
On the last day of his visit to the archipelago, he declared that "the nation owes French Polynesia, this debt is due to the fact that it hosted these experiments, especially between 1966 and 1974, which we cannot say were clean."
The French president did not apologize in his speech, which was demanded by the associations of the victims of these experiments.
After 17 nuclear tests in the Sahara Desert, in 1966 France transferred its shooting range to French Polynesia, where, during 30 years, it carried out 193 nuclear tests, initially by air and then underground.
The last test was conducted on January 27, 1996, after French President Jacques Chirac's decision to resume the tests, despite the decision to stop it, which was taken three years ago by his predecessor, François Mitterrand.
Regarding compensation, Macron indicated that when he was elected in 2017, “11 files were finalized,” and since “187 files have been completed,” and considered that this was “great progress, but not enough,” declaring that “the deadline for submitting files has been extended » for the beneficiaries.
The nation is indebted to French Polynesia, this debt arising from the fact that it hosted these experiments especially between 1966 and 1974, which we cannot say were clean.
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