Date: Thu, 11 Apr 1996 05:46:00 -0400 10 April 1996 (Reuter) - The full consequences of the 1986 Chernobyl disaster will remain a mystery for another half a century as scientists monitor cancers, birth defects and other diseases which could be linked to the nuclear accident. Ten years after the fire and blast at Chernobyl's reactor four hurled vast amounts of radioactivity into the air, scientists said they were still boggled by the true extent of Chernobyl-related diseases. 10 April 1996 (Reuter) - President Boris Yeltsin, gearing up for a summit on nuclear safety, promised to keep all Moscow's nuclear missiles on Russian territory and urged Western countries to make similar pledges. The appeal received no immediate response from the other nuclear powers. 10 April 1996 (Reuter) - Following is a partial text of the African Nuclear-weapon-free Zone Treaty (also known as the Treaty of Pelindaba), to be signed in Cairo by up to 53 African states: The parties to this treaty...: Convinced of the need to take all steps in achieving the ultimate goal of a world entirely free of nuclear weapons... Believing that the African nuclear-weapon-free zone will protect African States against possible nuclear attacks on their territories, Noting with satisfaction existing NWFZs and recognising that the establishment of other NWFZs, especially in the Middle East, would enhance the security of States Parties to the African NFWZ...Have decided by this treaty to establish the African NWFZ and hereby agree as follows:... Each party undertakes: (a) Not to conduct research on, develop, manufacture, stockpile or otherwise acquire, possess or have control over any nuclear explosive device by any means anywhere;... 1. Each party undertakes to prohibit, in its territory, the stationing of any nuclear explosive device. 2. ...each party in the exercise of its sovereign rights reamins free to decide for itself whether to allow visits by foreign ships and aircraft to its ports and airfields, transit of its airspace by foreign aircraft, and navigation by foreign ships in its territorial sea or archipelagic waters in a manner not covered by the rights of innocent passage... Each party undertakes: (a) Not to test any nuclear explosive device; (b) To prohibit in its territory the testing of any nuclear explosive device;... Each party undertakes: (a) To declare any capability for the manufacture of nuclear explosive devices; (b) To dismantle and destroy any nuclear explosive devices that it has manufactured prior to the coming into force of this Treaty; (c) To destroy facilities for the manufacture of nuclear explosive devices or, where possible, to convert them to peaceful uses; (d) To permit the International Atomic Energy Agency (hereinafter referred to as IAEA) and the Commission established in article 12 to verify the processes of dismantling and destruction of the nuclear explosive devices, as well as the destruction or conversion of the facilities for their production. Each party undertakes:... (b) Not to take any action to assist or encourage the dumping of radioactive wastes and other radioactive matter anywhere within the African nuclear-weapon-free zone. ... Each party undertakes: ... (b) To conclude a comprehensive safeguards agreement with IAEA... For the purpose of ensuring compliance with their undertakings under this Treaty, the parties agree to establish the African Commission on Nuclear Energy (hereafter referred to as the Commission)... The Commission shall meet in ordinary session once a year, and may meet in extraordinary session as may be required by the complaints and settlement of disputes procedure in annex IV... This treaty shall be of unlimited duration and shall remain in force indefinitely... Each party shall...have the right to withdraw from this Treaty if it decides that extraordinary events, related to the subject-matter of this Treaty, have jeopardised its supreme interests. ANNEX IV COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE AND SETTLEMENT OF DISPUTES 1. A party which considers that there are grounds for a complaint...shall bring the subject-matter of the complaint to the attention of the party complained of and shall allow the latter 30 days to provide it with an explanation... 2. If the matter is not resolved, the complainant party may bring this complaint to the Commission... 4. If...the Commission considers there is sufficient substance in the complaint to warrant an inspection..., the Commission may request the International Atomic Energy Agency to conduct such inspection as soon as possible... End of partial text 10 April 1996 (Reuter) - A nuclear summit in Moscow next week should go much further than planned, endorsing the shutdown of old Soviet reactors, controls on nuclear materials and faster disarmament, experts and peace campaigners said. The summit, 10 years after the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, is not expected to produce dramatic new measures to improve nuclear safety in the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. Disarmament issues are not on the summit agenda. 10 April 1996 (Reuter) - Britain will sign an international agreement declaring Africa a nuclear weapon-free zone at a ceremony in Cairo, the Foreign Office announced. 10 April 1996 (Reuter) - Africa joins Latin America and the South Pacific in an expanding club of zones free of nuclear weapons on Thursday when 53 African states, and the five big nuclear powers, sign the Treaty of Pelindaba in Cairo. 10 April 1996 (Reuter) - Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Oleg Soskovets said Moscow would not withdraw from a deal to build reactors at Iran's nuclear plant, despite pressure from Washington, Interfax news agency said.