Subject: HEADLINES 7 February 1996

Date: Thu, 8 Feb 1996 05:33:35 -0500

      7 Feb 1996 (Reuter) - Iran is working on 80 projects in
the field of nuclear power plants construction, a newspaper
said. "A total of 80 projects related to building and
completing atomic power plants are under way to provide the
country's electricity needs by using atomic energy," the daily
Salam said.  

      7 Feb 1996 (Reuter) - Nuclear experts with scuba gear
and high-tech detectors expect to begin scouring France's
South Pacific test sites in March to probe for radioactive
contamination, the U.N. atomic agency said. IAEA spokesman
David Kyd told Reuters: "We'll look to see if there are any
cracks in the atoll, if radioactivity can leak out and what
kind of radioactivity could seep into lagoons, seawater and
the environment." France has said that insignificant traces of
radioactive material often leaked after its nuclear tests but
denied that any iodine 131, which can cause cancer, had been
found.

      7 Feb 1996 (Reuter) - The United States is unable to
support a Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapons Free Zone in part
because it would inhibit freedom of the seas, Washington's
chief arms negotiator said. The Association of Southeast Asian
Nations (ASEAN) agreed to establish the zone, similar to one
declared in the South Pacific, at a summit in Bangkok in
December.