Oil pipeline
To:
His Excellency Valdas Adamkus, President of the Republic of Lithuania
Her Majesty Queen Margarethe II of Denmark
His Excellency Arnold Rüütel, President of the Republic of Estonia
Her Excellency Tarja Halonen, President of the Republic of Finland
His Excellency Jacques Chirac, President of the French Republic
His Excellency Horst Kohler, President of the Federal Republic of Germany
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain
Her Excellency Vaira Vike-Freiberga, President of the Republic of Latvia
His Majesty King Harald V of Norway
His Excellency Aleksander Kwasniewski, President of the Republic of Poland
His Majesty King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden
His Excellency George Bush, President of the United States of America
Mr. Josep Borrel Fontelles, President of the European Parliament
Mr. José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission
His Excellency Tony Blair, the Prime Minister the UK and President of the
European Council
Mr. Andres Taimla, President of the Baltic Assembly
Ms. Anne Christine Brusendorff, Executive Secretary of the Helsinki
Commission
Cc:
His Excellency Gerhard Schröder, Chancellor of the Federal Republic of
Germany
His Excellency Vladimir Putin, President of the Russian Federation
This document will be sent to the parliament leaders, prime ministers and
ministers of foreign affairs and the environment of the above mentioned
states, members of European Parliament and mass media institutions of the
states.
S T A T E M E N T
ON POTENTIAL ADVERSE CONSEQUENCES OF CONSTRUCTION
AND EXPLOTATION OF THE GAS PIPELINE IN THE BALTIC SEA
Vilnius 12.10.2005
On 29 May 2003, we, the undersigned, appealed to the
President of the Russian Federation and the leaders of many states and the
most prominent non-governmental organisations with regard to potential
adverse consequences of the oil pool D-6 exploitation. The appeal stated
that in the period 1947–1948 approximately 34 000 tons of military
substances, yperite mainly, were burried in the Baltic Sea under orders from
the military administration of the USSR in Germany. The largest amount of
these substances, about 70 000 shells and 70 000 bombs, was burried in the
region of Bornholm Island, in a 900 km2 area. A twice larger amount of
ammunition was scattered and dumped in a sea area of 1200 km2, 65-70 miles
to the southwest of Liepoja. About one tenth of the sea-burried ammunition
is in the economic zone of Lithuania. Moreover, about 256 000 tons of
chemical weapons were burried by the United States of America and Great
Britain in the Skagerrak and Kategatt areas of the North Sea. The amount of
toxic deep-six materials reaches six times more than mortal dose to every
life form in the Baltic Sea. So far, no state has accepted the
responsibility for potential danger and adverse consequences related to the
burried substances.
On 8 September 2005, the governments of the Russian
Federation and the Federal Republic of Germany signed the agreement on the
construction of the natural gas pipeline along the bottom of the baltic Sea.
None of the Baltic states or responsible European institutions were offered
to negotiate the agreement. A 80 million population lives by the Baltic Sea,
therefore this agreement is of major public concern.
A little mistake during the building or further
exploitation of the gas pipeline running along the Baltic Sea floor can
cause explosions of ammunition and the release of toxic substances resulting
in deterioration of the state of the marine ecosystem, mass deaths and
disease foci.
The building of the gas pipeline will also have adverse
ecological and environmental consequences. In the gas pipeline area, fauna
and flora will be damaged or destroyed, fish spawning and feeging sites will
become extinct, and a serious harm will be done to nature and fisheries.
The Republic of Lithuania is deeply concerned about
potential negative consequences of the Baltic Sea gas pipeline to the native
population, because even the slightest mistake or accident will have a
dramatic negative effect on the environment, marine flora and fauna, and
people.
No state has the right to seek profit at the expense of
nature and other people’s health. All discussions of the issues relating to
the seabed utilization for economic and other purposes should be preceded by
signing an international document on responsibility acceptance for the
weapons sunk at the bottom of the sea and the resultant consequences as well
as for rendering these weapons harmless. In an effort to preserve uniqueness
of the Baltic Sea, to prevent it from becoming a disaster area and ensure
that all activities undertaken in the sea comply with the requirements of
the international law, we request you to give the present situation your
attention and undertake all possible measures to prevent the unilateral
settlement of the issue of gas pipeline construction in the Baltic Sea.
Environmental impact assessment must be carried out on the international
level in accordance with the UN Convention on Environmental Impact
Assessment in a Transboundary Context (Espoo convention), the Helsinki
Convention on the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea
Area (Helsinki convention) as well as deeds which are in force in the Baltic
States and the European Union.
Our organizations are ready to co-operate both with
state and non-governmental organizations to ensure the observance of
international requirements and the respect for people’s interests.The Baltic
Sea is our common treasure and it has to be safeguarded. The above-mentioned
transaction between the Russian Federation and the Federative Republic of
Germany should receive legal assessment. We are convinced that parties to
the above mentioned agreement must discuss the issues relating to the
construction of this gas pipeline on the international level. What is more,
construction work could be allowed only if the observance of the world-wide
recognized environmental protection and management requirements and moral
principles is guaranteed. We appeal to you for assistance in achieving these
goals.
Respectfully,
President of the Alliance of Associations ,,Žuvininkų rūmai“, Corresp.
Member of the Lithuanian
Academy of Sciences
Prof. habil. dr. Juozas Virbickas
Director of Institute of Ecology, Vilnius University, Corresp. Member of the
Lithuanian Academy
of Sciences
Habil. dr. Mečislovas Žalakevičius
Director of Coastal Research and Planning Institute, Klaipeda University
Doc. dr. Artūras Razinkovas
Head of the Department of Botany and Genetics, Faculty of Natural Sciences,
Vilnius University
Prof. habil. dr. Jonas Naujalis
Director of Lithuanian Institute of Agrarian Economics
Dr. Romualdas Zemeckis
Chairman of the Lithuanian Association of Producers of Fish Products
Alfonsas Bargaila
Chairman of the Confederation of Fishermen and Fish Processors of West
Lithuania
Algirdas Aušra
Chairman of the Association of Fishery Enterprises ,,Lampetra”
Virginijus Domarkas
President of Commercial Fishery Association Gintautas Morkevičius
Board Member of „Atgaja“ Community“ Linas Vainius
President of Lithuanian Nature Society Prof. habil. dr. Algirdas Gaigalas
President of the Lithuanian Hydrobiologists Society Dr. Eugenija Milerienė
Professor of Natural Sciences Faculty of Vilnius Pedagogical University
Prof. habil. dr. Petras Kurlavičius
Executive Director of Lithuanian Nature Fund Doc.dr. Pranas Mierauskas
Chairman of the Lithuanian Movement Sajudis Council
Rytas Kupčinskas
Chairman of Lithuanian Architects’ Association Prof. Vytautas Jurgis Dičius
Director of Vilnius Castles State Cultural Reserve Audronė Kasperavičienė
Director of Lithuanian Art Museum Romualdas Budrys
Vice-president of the Alliance of Associations ,,Žuvininkų rūmai“, Chairman
of Public Commission
Leonas Kerosierius
Address: Leonas Kerosierius, Erfurto St. 46-64, LT-04102 Vilnius, Lithuania,
Tel/fax +370 5 231 81 11, e-mail leonaske@takas.lt
Gedimino ave. 1, LT-
01103, Vilnius, Lithunia.
Tel.: + 370 673 95 837, +370 5 2318111, +370 699
37691
e-mail: vilnius@sajudis.com