April 18, 2006

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Over 1.3mln Live in Chernobyl Zone in Belarus – Parliament
Ria Novosti, Russia
April 12, 2006

12/04/2006 15:06 MINSK, April 12 (RIA Novosti) - More than 1.3 million Belarusians are living in areas affected by the Chernobyl nuclear accident that occurred two decades ago, the speaker of the country's lower house of parliament said Wednesday.

"Our fellow countrymen living in contaminated areas should be confident about their future," Vladimir Konoplev said. "It is time we addressed the vital problems of the people who inhabit these zones."

The speaker made his address at the opening of parliamentary hearings to promote a renewed global focus on the aftermath of the worst accident in the history of nuclear power. He said the government should ensure that those living in the Chernobyl zone were provided with jobs, legal protection, social benefits and medical care.

The radioactive fallout from the 1986 disaster has caused major health problems in one out of every five residents of Belarus and inflicted economic losses totaling 32 times the amount of the nation's annual budget in 1985, Konoplev said.

Belarus received 70% of the radiation released from the explosion of a reactor at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in neighboring Ukraine in April 1986. One-fifth of its agricultural land became unfit for farming as a result.