Representatives from the Pacific Islands Forum have ended another round of talks with Japan, France and the United Kingdom over the transport of radioactive materials in the Pacific region.

Forum member countries are seeking to commit the shipping states to a compensation and liability regime, in the event of an accident involving radioactive materials. The liability issue is subject to further consultation.

The technical level meeting in Nadi, Fiji was the fifth in an on-going series, which focuses on the shipments of radioactive and high-level wastes between Japan and Europe.

At their summit last August, Pacific Islands Forum Leaders reiterated their continuing concerns over the shipment of radioactive materials through the region.

Leaders welcomed the recent assurance by shipping States to take all practicable action to assist in the management of an incident, whether or not such an incident involved the release of radioactivity, and to cooperate effectively with any state concerned, particularly states close to where any accident had taken place.

Leaders called on shipping States to continue the dialogue with Forum members and in particular, to progress the proposals that Forum members had developed for innovative arrangements and assurances.