In a joint statement this week the Turkish Greens urge for the resignation of Osman Pepe, the Minister of Environment and Forestry, who they believe ignored the warnings by Mediterranean environmentalists about the hazardous presence of the ship in the Iskenderun port.
The cargo vessel M/V Ulla, had been denied entrance in the southern Turkish port of Iskenderun in 2000 due to its toxic cargo. However due to complicated procedures and disagreements between the Turkish and Spanish governments the ship was left in the open sea what sunk on Monday.
The Turkish Greens pointed that the ruling AKP (Justice and Development Party), in spite of environmentalist pledges, failed to prevent the disaster.
The Greens from Spain said, It is absolutely of the irresponsible attitude of the Aznar government that the toxic waste of Spanish thermoelectric power plants is kept in a third country.
The ruling Spanish government should bear the financial burden of this disaster but the previous government should also be held responsible for remaining silent for 4 years on a potential environmental disaster.
Our Mediterranean can not be turned into a time bomb, the Greens say and they urge for transparency in the management of toxic waste all around the world. (ÖG/BB)
