NAZARBAYEV TO URGE BANNING OF NUCLEAR TESTING DURING CHINA TRIP.

Kazakhstan’s president Nursultan Nazarbayev told Interfax August 31 that during his upcoming visit to China, he will urge that country’s to agree to ban atmospheric nuclear tests. The Kazakh leader will also point to his country’s closure of the Semipalatinsk testing range, long used for Soviet nuclear tests. China’s recent testing at Lop Nor has adversely impacted on the ecology of nearby eastern Kazakhstan, sparking protests not only from Kazakhstan’s Nevada-Semipalatinsk-Lop Nor ecological movement, but also from official circles. Kazakhstan’s Foreign Ministry has officially urged the testing’s suspension.

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