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The issues included in the agenda of the non-regular session of the Parliament to convene on March 29 attract attention of the general public creating great fuss. The agenda includes joining of Mongolia to 1997 Convention on management safety of used petroleum and radioactive waste, approval of the amended protocol of low level nuclear waste, joining to the 1994 convention on nuclear safety, approval of the 2005 amendments to the 1980 convention on protection of nuclear waste. The draft laws to be discussed by the Mongolian parliamentarians create disputes and protests.

Protestors against the uranium and nuclear waste consider that the approval of the laws shall provide give green light to backfill nuclear waste. The protestors are calling that the joining to the conventions shall make the country responsible for management safety of used petroleum. As some countries backfill the used petroleum, some countries see the used petroleum as Valuable source to recycle; therefore, it’s the decision of the country how to define the used oil. For the nuclear waste, if countries agree in between, it could be backfilled in the territory of other countries which could be defined in the law as a beneficial management. So, joining the conventions means that Mongolia to face danger to backfill i.e. store nuclear waste under the means of cooperation, said the protestors who are calling the public to stand against the conventions.

In parallel the official website of the Parliament states that Mongolia’s acceptance to join the conventions shall ensure protection of the nuclear waste and nuclear facilities at the international level, strengthen the international cooperation, combat with nuclear terrorism and similar crimes and create national legal environment in compliance with the objectives. It also provides clarification those conditions to ban entry and transit of nuclear waste to own country, improve internal legal conditions to ensure management safety of radioactive waste shall be created.

G.Manlaijav, secretary of Nuclear energy authority and head of the Working group was interviewed whereas he said that “I officially and strongly state that no nuclear waste shall enter Mongolia”. In his interview he highlighted that understanding of the public to join the conventions shall open doors to backfill nuclear waste is wrong.

All these talks, statements create a hot topic among the public with focus on nuclear waste. The Parliament had called its non regular session on March 19 and the spring session is scheduled to start on April 5, so this urgency creates more suspicion among some people. According to official sources a high level meeting on nuclear safety is scheduled to convene on March 31 and the IAEA made a statement to provide full support to its member countries to ratify the convention and its amendments. So the parliamentarians explain the urgency to ratify the conventions in relation to the IAEA commitment. Yet, the civil movements’ suspicion is getting deep as they see the urgency to make a step forward to backfill the nuclear waste in Mongolia as Judagt Mongol movement announced to rally on March 30.

For Mongolian version please visit here

Монгол эхийг унших бол энд дарж орно уу