Date: Tue, 11 Jun 1996 13:11:25 
 
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June 10 (Reuter) - Greenpeace campaigners appealed to China
not to use force against them as their ship headed towards
Chinese waters to try to persuade Beijing to stop its nuclear
testing. The vessel, carrying 32 campaigners from 16
countries, aims to dock in Shanghai to hold talks with Chinese
officials on its nuclear testing programme.

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June 10 (Reuter) - Thomas Graham, the Special Representative
of the President for Arms Control, Non-Proliferation and
Disarmament (chief U.S. arms negotiator), welcomed China's
pledge to end nuclear testing and sign a Comprehensive Test
Ban Treaty. "They've never said that before. They even used
the word moratorium after the next test...," he said.

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June 10 (Reuter) - Kazakhstan said it was concerned at the
weekend nuclear blast in neighbouring China and urged Beijing
to fulfil its pledge to impose a moratorium on atomic testing. 
Kazakhstan halted testing at its Semipalatinsk site when it
became independent in 1991, borders China's Xinjiang province,
where the Lop Nor test range is located.  

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June 10 (Reuter) - Mongolia condemned China's latest
underground nuclear blast and said it had protested to
Beijing. China's Lop Nor test site in northwestern Xinjiang is
near the border with Mongolia. Mongolia, which has declared
itself a nuclear-free zone, fears the Lop Nor tests are
responsible for higher-than-normal radiation levels in areas
of its southern Gobi desert.

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June 10 (Reuter) - Nuclear power generator British Energy,
unveiling details of what is likely to be the government's
last major privatisation, said it would pay dividends worth 96
million pounds ($149 million) when it floats on the stock
market next month. BE said in its "pathfinder" prospectus that
investors would receive a total dividend of 13.7p per share
for the year to March 31 1997. The government will sell 700
million shares, or all of its stake in British Energy.

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June 10 (Reuter) - A pakistani newspaper said that China
pulled off a diplomatic master stroke by carrying out a
nuclear test and simultaneously pledging to sign the
Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. Pakistan has made no official
comment about Saturday's blast by its long-standing ally and
nuclear partner. China is helping Islamabad build a 300-MW
nuclear power plant at Chashma. Pakistan says it has the
capacity to make nuclear bombs, but has decided not to produce
them. It says it will not sign the nuclear Non-Proliferation
Treaty unless arch-rival India does.