PARIS, Feb. 15 (UPI) -- French President Jacques Chirac ended a growing international dispute over a defunct French aircraft carrier Wednesday by ordering the Clemenceau back to France.
Chirac's decision came on the heels of an afternoon ruling by France's State Council that redefined the battleship as carrying hazardous waste, rather than war material, and therefore making illegal plans to dismantle it in India.
Ever since the ship steamed out of the port of Toulon on Dec. 31, it has been the object of a growing dispute pitting the French government against environmental groups.
Environmentalists argue the Clemenceau carries far more asbestos than the 45 or so tons French authorities originally claimed -- and that India's Alang ship yard lacks the proper safety measures to protect its workers and the environment.
On Wednesday Greenpeace hailed Chirac's decision as a "huge victory for the environment."
"In today's globalized world it is vital that nations, such as France and India, co-operate to uphold global justice and not shamelessly pass on their responsibility to those in vulnerable areas of the planet," Pascal Husting, Greenpeace France Executive Director, said in a statement.
The group says it hopes France will now lead European efforts to ensure toxic ships are safely dismantled.
The Clemenceau has become a growing source of embarrassment for France -- particularly now, on the eve of a planned visit by Chirac to India.
India's supreme court barred the carrier from entering territorial waters until it ruled whether it could be dismantled safely at Alang.
But French Defense Minister Michele Alliot-Marie remained adamant Paris had made the right decision in sending the ship to India.
"What sincere environmental organization would dare to claim that leaving the Clemenceau to languish in a French port was a more courageous or responsible decision?" she asked reporters late Wednesday. "The shipyard chosen in India would have international certifications protecting workers and the environment."
