station in South Africa, reports.
The visit took place between 26 January and 7 February SS SEBESI CODOSLT! representatives from Framatwo French companies involved a nunEiE mE Nococm EUCICRn рожет ріал. The interesting WUL SODULTECTCOn b Д0 much the project itself, which has been known about for some time, as the extent of Wester South African nuclear developmade Electricity Supply Commission CULICE (Escom - the South African COciRy Durnofily) BE Che conference of the International Atomic Eneray Authocity in Geneva, a body supposedly designed to restrict muclear proliferation!
PREDICTABLE Predictably the delegation also contacted representatives of a number of French-based multinationalsin South Africa, inçluding such well-known EDE.
saimes as the Fresch Bank The trip was timed to coincide with a delegation from the French Senate Commission ШЕ ЕСОВОЛИ anO FInne Alfairs. The report makes it CC HAI S WSS TU-SCUGET and thet the vice-president of TECSCELELESTOO BETISHLOT Chaury from Loire-Atlantique, sia pu ae Lala two dass in South Africa to accompany the Framatomneteam.
reveals the depth Franco-South African nuclear cooperation. document, which is a report from a delegation that visited South Africa in 1973, was recently published by Rouge, the French Trotskyist daily. CHRIS O'BRIEN Chauty went with thei on vils ro the aiomic enerey Board, Escom. and Indusrial Development Corporation. As the report noted: action has given the FRA-SB mission a political dimension'! Chauty abviously hit if olf with Dr Roux, boss of the Atomic Energy Board. He proposed that Roux visited France at the official invitation goveruments" complicity in of the French Atomic Energy Commission.
the HELPFUL things in mind. They delcestion that could vuit ou Tactones and have dacussions WtD the BDE ne French enes that the Eb couldre belpful in the problem of comparina knowan bours belween nucicar and fossil fuel.
Framatome wantoo 1o scc n the asas could De arraneed Dy the EDF in liaison with us.' There has been no denial from the One reporl displays conCredit Lyonnais and Total, siderable awareness of the Visit Whereas there were VERAHS TO LICH TESEMAEO Anglo-American nuclear aid to boum aurica, lee ALAS confidence in TRNESBESTILATE kaaners are replacing the ensrsn ur importanc posis oi government and industry.
political colaboration witb the of The the ORJET South African nuclear industry fits into the which is emerging of bow South Africa got the bomb. South Atrica 1s the largest uranium producer, so its wanted a NECICUE CHENCIOPEICHT stimulated by a fairly obvious Trade-Oll belween raw ma terials and technology.
Lacre were liree marot USA, which provided akilled personnel, as well as Satari 1. South Africa's first research reactor; France. contracted to build the first two nucicar pans, and west Germany, which contributed ENRICHMENT The Americans continued to VOCSLET •SUDO CEC LOCORM from its first functioning in 00 TOLEIC SEATER Africa was able to provide its OTHE LO COC ASOOSBEiCS! of the world's This scientists had discovered a
COMPTE-RENDU DE VOYAGS
LIEU : AFRIQUE DU SUD DAIE : du 26 janzier au 7 téveier -0373 E AFFAIRE : Prajet de centrale nuclónire 600 Mwe de KOEBERG pour ESCOM. overall picture proocas beginning to W'OEE HE Atomic Energy Board, Member 1977)
which was From its Nation (UCOR) in Karisrube scientists, the processin 1959,
CUTIESCILLILE
According to informaton which is one iust emerge, this was the jet nozzle technique developed by Gez- the TaR SOCIANS IE TC CCHTE establishment in Karlsruhe. German This was confirmed in 1975 by supplied the Dr Roux of the South African ІГаЛанаП.
Socialist Challenge (3 NosELITELO revealed details of this process and bow the South Africans gat hold of it. The important point it that although STEAG, the partly srate-owned German Like the company that discovered the jet nozzle technique, withdrew contrace win ine utran ot South ica d South Africa Led Lid the purely 1973, German-South African nuclear colaboration continues to this day, with Dr Roux and his Gernan counterparts exchanging visits just as they have since began researching There is no douht of West German state collaboration in :1/005/L1-0153 FElces iotuces Dosarests omis car B.V.5.
Form ITa - ICIM SH ITEE Anter ute A.
PIRFDETON all this. For example. General Rall, the head of the Lattwalle, iste oms Ancan macea rescanch centres in 1974 - a SERT ACT LEC CAILORUUA D STEAG-UCOR contract.
-WUEI STOENET Wes1 сотраву. MAN, Valiodaba СПrichment plant in Nonhern with turho pressurs, the stares department of the West Gerinan armed forces ohligingly supplied NATO code numbers Bur there is another knight with his white charger parked just around the corner: Britain West German Government over the OTRAG project in Zaire, the Labour Governmenl is at pains to stress commercial char acter of Rio Tinta Zinc's exploitation of the Rossing uraniam tipe in Namibia.
BENN'S DEAL well.
It was Tony Benn who, as Minister of Technology, signed the RIZ contract with British Atomic Energy AuthThis is only speculation, but scenario is horribly familiar I1 iso't just Kapallo that relations with South that comes to mind from the inter-war period: the military build-up. the increased chauvinist, the scramble for colonial SOCIALIST CHALLENGE, 2 February, 1977 page 9 ority in 1970, It was the same Tony Велл who, in 1973. pledged bimself and Labour to cancel the contract when they por back into power. And it i Tony Benn who is the Energ: Secretary who keeps the dea aliveto this day.
CRIMINALS The political siguificance or the contract s obvious: it constitutes British recognition of tbe South African occu pation of Namibia But in probably gocs a step further.
South Airica has already indicated the importance of Rassing for its own programe of enriched uranium. And there are two further huge wanium deposits — whose location has boen kept secret by South Altica. RTZ may bave prospecting rights on chese ai So it looks Lke the Labow ERLCEONENHETR IDOCE the long list of criminals who have heiped South Africa por the bomb.
And Britain? Forner Prime Minister Harold Wilson claims Africa, and the Namibian uranium contract int particular, is the detciminiog factor in British politics, Draw your own COnCILiDE:
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A confidential document from Framatome, the French company engaged in building a nuclear power