Brussels, 10/01/2001 (Agence Europe) - The North Atlantic Council, meeting at ambassadorial level for its regular Wednesday session, on 10 December, considered the possible environmental and health risks associated with the use of depleted uranium in munitions used in the Balkans. At the end of the meeting, NATO Secretary General Lord Robertson said: "Allies are committed to ensuring the health and safety of their servicemen and women and to avoiding any ill-effects for the civil population and personnel of non-governmental organisations as a result of NATO military operations".
The NATO Council noted in this context that "there is no evidence currently available to suggest that exposure to expended depleted uranium munitions represents a significant health risk for NATO-led forces or the civilian population in the Balkans", Lord Robertson added. The Secretary General rejected the link made by some between low levels of uranium and leukemia, citing statements made to this effect by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). Incidents of leukemia amongst the civilian population of Kosovo had been found to be lower than usual, he claimed.
The Secretary General announced an action plan which was approved by the NATO Council, by which: - the Alliance will cooperate fully with any further investigations on depleted uranium by nations or multinational organisations; - a depleted uranium committee will be set up for consultations with SFOR and KFOR contributing countries: a first briefing for this purpose will be given at a regular meeting of these countries on 12 January; - Allies will make available (to each other and more widely), through arrangements to be established in NATO, all information available to them, now or in the future, on any health risks associated with the use of depleted uranium munitions. As a first step, senior medical experts will exchange views on the medical and scientific background at a meeting of the Chiefs of Military Medical Services Committee, on 15 January, and report the results to NATO's Military Committee; - a NATO working group will be established to act as a clearing house for the exchange of information, with the participation of non-NATO SFOR and KFOR contributors.
Asked about the imposition of a moratorium on depleted uranium munitions, Lord Robertson said: "NATO is not currently engaged in hostilities and depleted uranium munitions are therefore not being used". He added that neither he nor NATO would have agreed to the use of munitions if they posed a health hazard.