Fed: Govt responds to Hungarian concerns over cyanide spill

AAP General News (Australia)
02-18-2000
Fed: Govt responds to Hungarian concerns over cyanide spill

CANBERRA, Feb 18 AAP - The federal government today expressed sympathy to the Hungarian
government over the controversial cyanide spill and offered technical support to help
with repairs.

Environment Minister Robert Hill met Hungarian ambassador Dr Istvan Gyurk after appeals
by Hungary for Australia to take some moral responsibility for the disaster.

West Australian-based mining company Esmeralda Explorations has so far denied responsibility
for the spill from a mine it half owns.

But it sent a team to northern Romania to study the spill which has killed tonnes of
fish and poisoned rivers.

The federal government would now wait for more information from the Hungarian government,
Senator Hill said.

"We had a talk about whether there was anything that Australia can do to help in the
repair task, or in learning from the experience to try to avoid such dramatic consequences
from accidents of this type," he told reporters.

"He (Dr Gyurk) is seeking advice from Hungary as to whether any specific expertise
that we might have that could be useful as they go about this repair task and I'll wait
to hear further comment in that regard."

It was not a case of Australia pushing any assistance, he said.

"I don't think it's an issue of moral obligation.

"But even if there is no issue of breach of regulations, accidents do occur from time
to time and our only obligation is one of good citizenship."

Dr Gyurk hailed the meeting as constructive and praised Senator Hill for recognising
the serious nature of the spill.

"We are not expecting rash actions from the side of the Australian government," he
told reporters.

"What we are expecting is expression of understanding, concern, sympathy.

"What we are expecting is a kind of technical assistance which can be specified by
us in the future.

"Now Senator Hill has expressed his sympathy and he asked me to go and pass on his
genuine concern to the Hungarian government.

"If this will be publicly expressed and forwarded by me or by other means to the Hungarian
government the first part of the problem could be solved, which is the part (in which)
we are expecting the expression of sympathy.

"And now it is our role to formulate what we are really expecting from Australia -
technical assistance, expertise, scientific assistance and so on."

AAP lm/mfh/lw/de

KEYWORD: HUNGARY CYANIDE AUST (CARRIED EARLIER)

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