§ Mr. Terlezkiasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will discuss the implications of the nuclear explosion at Chernobyl in the Ukraine with representatives of the Soviet Government; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. EggarWe have been in regular touch with the Soviet authorities both in London and Moscow since the explosion at Chernobyl. Most recently I spoke to the minister-counsellor at the Soviet embassy on Friday 9 May.
§ Mr. Terlezkiasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports have been received from Her Majesty's ambassador in Moscow as to how many people have been seriously affected by the recent nuclear explosion (a) in Chernobyl, (b) in Kiev, (c) in the Ukraine in general, (d) in Minsk and (e) in Biyelorussia; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. EggarHer Majesty's ambassador in Moscow is hampered by the absence of official Soviet statistics about the number of people seriously affected in the areas mentioned. It is therefore impossible to make an accurate statement. In view of the uncertainty, we are currently advising British citizens etc not to travel to Kiev and western Ukraine, Minsk and Biyelorussia, Lithuania and north-eastern Poland unless absolutely necessary.
§ Mr. Terlezkiasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the latest reports received from Her Majesty's ambassador in Moscow about the causes and nature of the Chernobyl nuclear reactor catastrophe.
§ Mr. EggarWe are receiving regular reports from Her Majesty's embassy in Moscow about the disaster at Chernobyl. The embassy is however not able to obtain a complete picture, given the absence of an official authoritative and detailed Soviet explanation of the causes and nature of the disaster.