From: Greenpeace vessel MV Solo tracking Pacific Pintail
Date: SUN 2-APR-95 06:06:40 GMT - DAY 39, PART I

RAINBOW WARRIOR TO JOIN SOLO TOMORROW IN THE PACIFIC

The Pacific Pintail's position (0600 GMT) is 16 degrees 23 minutes south, and 126 degrees and 11 minutes west, and the ship's course is 320 degrees, sailing at a speed of 14 knots. For distances to Pacific Islands please see enclosed table. We have heard by radio from the Greenpeace flaghip Rainbow Warrior, that the ship will meet up with us briefly in the Pacific as we track the nuclear waste ship. The RW is on its way from Panama to Tahiti as part of a Pacific tour addressing marine pollution and other issues in the region. We look forward to the contact.

The radioactive waste onboard of the ship Pintail we are tracking has been generated by the commercial plutonium production programs of France, the UK and Japan. The trade in plutonium is by many experts regarded as extremely dangerous to current non-proliferation objectives since commercial plutonium can directly be used for nuclear weapons purposes.

The plutunium trade is especially dangerous since no international regime exists that limits the production and trade in this fissile material. It is expected that at the Non-Proliferation Treaty Extension Conference (NPT) from April 17 - May 12 at the UN in New York, plutonium trade will be a hotly discussed topic. France, Japan and the United Kingdom have repeatedly expressed their resistance to any restraints on their commercial proliferation activities.

France and the United Kingdom have also stated their continued reliance on nuclear weapons and the concept of nuclear deterrence as fundamental basis for their own national security. As long as these countries continue to rely on the use of nuclear weapons to protect their national interests, others will also aim for national security objectives along similar lines of thought. Since the NPT came into force in 1970, India, Pakistan, Israel, Iraq, South Africa and North Korea have pursued -- and sadly in most cases succesfully achieved -- indigenous production of nuclear weapons.

France and the United Kingdom actively seek an unaltered, unconditional and unlimited extension of the outdated and flawed NPT to protect their priviledged position in the current world order. Simultaneously these countries engage in the trade and production of commercial plutonium, a practice that is not in the interest of global security and that should be condemned by all states party to the NPT.

Greenpeace urges NPT Parties to call for a ban on both civil and military plutonium production at talks on the extension of the NPT in New York in April. The organization furthermore calls on all Parties to oppose an indefinite extension of the Treaty.

For additional information on the Pacific Pintail's voyage or it's cargo of plutonium waste, contact Bas Bruyne on the Solo (phone: ++872-1301166--WARNING $10 PER MINUTE), or Karen Richardson at Greenpeace UK (phone: ++44-171-226-3151). Photo, video, or other media requests to Blair Palese at Greenpeace Communications (phone: ++44-171-833-0600).

Best regards
and No Nukes!
Ulf Birgander (Captain)

SOLO CONTINUES TO TRACK NUCLEAR WASTE SHIP IN PACIFIC RAINBOW WARRIOR TO JOIN US TOMORROW

The Pacific Pintail's position (1900 GMT) is 14 degrees 8 minutes south, and 128 degrees and 9 minutes west, and the ship's course is 320 degrees, sailing at a speed of 14 knots. For distances to Pacific Islands please see enclosed table. We'll make this brief today as we know all you Greenpeace staff out there helping to put our updates up on the net are off enjoying your weekend (hopefully). More tomorrow when the Rainbow Warrior joins our party.

Best regards
and No Nukes!
Ulf Birgander (Captain)