§ Mr. CorbynTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the appropriate Soviet and French authorities were contacted in regard to the design details of the nuclear reactors at Tuwaitha before the authorisation of an attack on the facility; and what attempts have been made subsequent to the bombing of the reactors to ascertain the extent of the damage inflicted.
§ Mr. Archie HamiltonAs the design and construction of the two reactors at Tuwaitha were well known prior to the Gulf conflict, there was no need to approach the Soviet or French authorities before the attack on the facility by coalition forces. It is very unlikely that there has been any significant radioactive contamination outside the immediate area of the site, because of the nature of the reactors and local topographic features. Inspections of Iraq's nuclear facilities to be carried out in accordance with Security Council resolution 687 adopted on 3 April should provide an opportunity to determine the effects of the allied attacks.