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Greenpeace Press Release

BEIRUT, Lebanon 9 March 1999 -- Lebanese General State Prosecutor Adnane Addoum today told Greenpeace that the issue of imported toxic waste from Italy in 1987 is not closed.

During a meeting with Greenpeace Mediterranean campaigners Ghassan Geara and Fouad Hamdan in the Justice Palace in Beirut, Addoum said that he was ready to ask Italian embassy officials to return toxic waste and to decontaminate polluted sites.

The two activists informed Mr. Addoum that the latest judicial report (or "accusation decision") on the waste trade scandal, which was written by Prosecutor Said Mirza, ignored important information. The Mirza report claimed a 1995 scientific report of the French company Burgeap said that soil and water in several areas did not contain any "dangerous or toxic substances". The areas sampled were Zuk Mosbeh, Shnanir, Beirut Port and Halat Valley where toxic waste from Italy was stored, dumped or burned.

But the Burgeap report - a copy of which is with Greenpeace - stated exactly the opposite. "There is high suspicion that this site (Shnanir) was used to dump toxic waste from the central part down the wadi... It is then recommended that the following further investigation be carried out: detailed surveying downstream the site," said the report. The authorities have never done this.

In Zuk Mosbeh, 15 kilometres north of Beirut, samples tested by Burgeap proved to be contaminated by toxic chlorinated substances and heavy metals. The report also suggests that further investigation be carried out there because at the time of the sampling the site was asphalted. Further investigation was never carried out. Many other sites were proven contaminated and several water sources contained toxic pollutants.

"Greenpeace deplores the fact that the Mirza report ignored hard scientific facts," said Ghassan Geara, Lebanon campaigner of Greenpeace Mediterranean. "Greenpeace had sampled the Shnanir site in 1995 and proved that two spots in the area's quarry are contaminated by a cocktail of highly toxic waste. All discovered toxics closely resemble the contents of the waste exported by the Italian company "Jelly Wax" to Lebanon in 1987. The Shnanir quarry was the main storage site of this toxic waste." (1)

"Greenpeace handed over all these reports to Mr. Mirza in 1995, and we do not understand why he has ignored them. Greenpeace also dismisses claims in the Mirza report saying that Greenpeace based its waste trade campaign only on media reports. We handed to Mr. Addoum copies of the reports given to Mr. Mirza almost four years ago," he added.

Fact is that former Greenpeace Mediterranean campaigner in Beirut Fouad Hamdan personally handed over Mr. Mirza in May 1995 photos and numerous reports from the United Nations, the International Maritime Organisation, Lebanon's Council for Development and Reconstruction (CDR), the Italian embassy in Beirut, the Lebanese Army Intelligence and judiciary, etc. These reports as well as photos reveal in detail the toxicity of the imported wastes and the sites where they had been stored, dumped or burned. Mr. Mirza has ignored these reports.

The Mirza report was published shortly after Greenpeace managed to convince the Italian authorities to return any toxic waste and to decontaminate polluted sites.

The Italian embassy in Beirut last January showed this good will twice to Lebanese Environment Minister Arthur Nazarian, who has confirmed this to Greenpeace. This willingness came after several meetings between Greenpeace and the Italian embassy in Lebanon during the period September 1998 and January 1999

Greenpeace also condemns the decision to prosecute environmental experts Dr. Pierre Malychef and Dr. Milad Gergoui, who helped Greenpeace uncover this waste trade scandal. The Mirza report charges that the two have give false testimonies.

Some 15,800 barrels had been imported from Italy to Lebanon in 1987. Italian experts returned in 1988/89 the contents of about 5,500 toxic waste barrels they mixed with sand and stored in about 9,500 new barrels. (1) During this process, the 5th Bassin of Beirut Port was severely polluted. Greenpeace gave pictures of this crime to Mr. Mirza. The remaining waste was dumped in the sea or in remote areas in Lebanon. Some of the waste was sold to people as herbicides.

Greenpeace published documents proving that at least five sites in Lebanon were still contaminated by toxic waste. The sites are in Shnanir, Zelahmaya, Halat, Uyun al-Siman and in Tripoli. These documents have been handed over to the Italian embassy in Beirut and to the Lebanese authorities. (2)

Greenpeace Mediterranean, which has been campaigning on this issue since 1994, welcomes the shift in the Italian position on this issue. We appeal to the Lebanese government to respond positively to the Italian offer, and drop all charges against Dr. Malychef and Dr. Gergoui. We also call on Mr. Mirza, who had interrogated in 1995 all people involved in this toxic waste trade scandal, to deliver to the Italian embassy all information about sites were toxic waste was buried and where soils have been contaminated.

For additional information please call:

Ghassan Geara on 00961-1-785665 or 00961-3-756429 (mobile); or Dr. Mario Damato, Executive Director of the Greenpeace Mediterranean Office in Malta on 00356-490784.

Emails: gp.med@greenpeace.org.lb; gpmedite@diala.greenpeace.org

Greenpeace on the Internet: http://www.greenpeace.org/~med

NOTES:

1. Details and sources are in the Greenpeace report: "Toxic attack against Lebanon. Case One: Toxic Waste from Italy". The report and copies of official documents on that issue can be obtained from Greenpeace.

2. Documents from the Lebanese Environment Ministry (11/6/97) and from the British waste management company Eurotech (23/5/97).