Sunday, October 29, 1995


   LONDON (Reuter) -- Hundreds of people protesting against French
nuclear testing invaded the grounds of Prime Minister John Major's
official country home on Sunday as Major prepared to greet French
President Jacques Chirac.
   The demonstration, by members of the environmental group Greenpeace
and the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND), took place about an hour
before Chirac arrived for a two-day summit, expected to be overshadowed
by France's nuclear test campaign in the South Pacific.
   Protesters carried French flags bearing radiation symbols and blew
whistles and Klaxons.
   In a speech at a formal dinner opening the summit, Major said British
and French interests were inextricably linked and emphasized the need
for Britain and France to work together, not just in Europe but at the
United Nations and around the world.
   "We will not always agree on every point.  Our nations are too
independent, too proud, perhaps too individual to do that but our
interests are inextricably linked," he said.
   "We will generally agree on the great issues, certainly far, far more
often than we will disagree.  That is a pretty good basis for a rich
friendship."
   Greenpeace said dozens of police, some on horseback, failed to
prevent the invasion of more than 500 protesters.  Police said they
arrested 12 people and were unable to confirm the organizers' estimate
of the number of invaders.
   Chirac arrived two days after the third in a series of French nuclear
tests in the Mururoa atoll in French Polynesia.
   Britain has refused to join an international chorus of criticism of
the tests.  Anti-nuclear campaigners were angered by an interview with
Major published in the French newspaper Le Monde before before Friday's
test in which he declined to criticize France.
   "I don't think criticizing France is the best way to attain our
long-term goal, which is the prohibition of all nuclear tests," Major
was quoted as saying.
   CND chairwoman Janet Bloomfield said:  "If John Major wanted to
persuade Jacques Chirac by adopting a softly softly strategy, then that
has clearly failed.  The French government has found comfort in the
British government's weakness."
   She added:  "He (Major) seems to be allying himself with probably the
most unpopular politician in the world today."
   Chirac's meeting with Major is one of a series of annual summits
between leaders of the two countries, the only ones in Western Europe
with nuclear arsenals.
   British sources said the accent on this meeting would be on defense.
   The two leaders plan a round of talks at Chequers on Monday before
inaugurating the Franco-British European Air Group, a joint effort to
plan and command bilateral air operations, at an air base near London.
They will go into London for a lunch followed by a news conference at
the foreign ministry.
   Major faces more criticism of his handling of the French nuclear
testing issue when he attends a Commonwealth heads of government meeting
in New Zealand from November 10 to 13.
   Former members of the British empire in the Pacific region, including
New Zealand and Australia, have been outraged at the tests, which they
say could result in leaks of radioactivity.