Nuclear row brewing over US carrier

Balearic Chief Minister Francesc Antich, fresh on the heels of the Balearic senator Manolo Camara, threw himself into the international arena yesterday when he sent a letter to the Spanish Foreign Minister Josep Pique, demanding the results of the radiation tests carried out in the Bay of Palma before and after the arrival of the nuclear powered United States aircraft carrier USS George Washington last month. This is the second letter on the subject Antich has sent to Pique, the first expressing the Balearic government's opposition to the aircraft carrier mooring in the Bay of Palma and concern over the risks the presence of the warship posed to the general public. Pique replied, explaining that there is a Spanish navy unit which specialises in carrying out radiation tests before and after such warships enter Spanish waters. Antich said yesterday that, based on Pique's initial reply, the Balearic Chief Minister could only assume that there is an apparent risk, hence the special unit's activities. Antich now wants to see the results and he has also asked that in the future, the Balearic government is given earlier warnings about nuclear powered war ships planning to moor in the Bay of Palma.