Brussels, 28/03/2007 (Agence Europe) - German Green MEP Rebecca Harms, presenting a new study on Wednesday of the dangers associated with the propagation of nuclear weapons carried out by Mycle Schneider (The permanent Nth country experiment), confirmed that in her view nuclear proliferation constitutes a sufficient reason to reject the civil use of nuclear energy. “The fact that civil use and military use of nuclear energy cannot be disassociated is knowingly kept quiet”, Ms Harms says in a press release, stressing that the propagation of atomic energy in the world “leads not only to the dissemination of the knowledge needed to produce nuclear weapons, but also to the theft of nuclear materials for military or terrorist ends”, a view she backs up with figures from the study. The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) “has not prevented the proliferation of nuclear weapons, rather it has encouraged it”, she continues, pointing out that more countries have nuclear weapons and nuclear warheads than was the case when the NPT was signed. “Since the 1960s it has been proved that atomic bombs can be produced by scientists with only limited technical means. The know-how needed to construct a bomb is freely accessible on the internet”, Mr Schneider added, denouncing the existence of a real black market for nuclear material. The study is available on the website http://www.greens-efa.org , under the heading “Documents”, then “International”. (eh)