The D.R. is opposed to the passing through the Mona Channel (between this country and Puerto Rico) of the English ship Pacific Swan with its highly toxic cargo of 30 tons of nuclear waste. The ship left on Thursday from the Port of Cherbourg, in France. French Ambassador Henri Vidal has stated that the ship should not be a matter of concern for the D.R., but Eduardo Latorre, Minister of Foreign Relations, said that the country stands by the resolution adopted by the Association of Caribbean States in its second ministerial meeting held in Cuba in 1996, where the Caribbean was declared an area that should be kept free of the transport of nuclear wastes. He said that the government sent official letters to the governments of France and Japan requesting that an alternate route be found. An accident would endanger marine fauna and flora of the Caribbean causing devastating damage to the tourism industry. He said that while the petition was well received by the governments of those countries, he was not aware that any change in plans had taken place. Minister Latorre said that the D.R. and any other nation, can only summon public opinion to try to stop ships from passing, as the ship is in its right to cross international waters.
