DATE=4/12/96 TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT NUMBER=2-195654 TITLE= I-A-E-A/CHERNOBYL (L ONLY) BYLINE= WAYNE COREY DATELINE= VIENNA CONTENT= VOICED AT: INTRO: INTERNATIONAL NUCLEAR EXPERTS HAVE ENDED A FOUR-DAY CONFERENCE ON THE EXPLOSION AT THE CHERNOBYL NUCLEAR POWER PLANT IN UKRAINE 10 YEARS AGO. THERE WERE DISAGREEMENTS ABOUT THE LONG-TERM HEALTH CONSEQUENCES OF THE WORLD'S WORST NUCLEAR ACCIDENT, AND THERE WAS NO CLEAR PROGRESS TOWARD NUCLEAR POWER SAFER. V-O-A'S WAYNE COREY REPORTS FROM VIENNA. TEXT: THE FOUR-DAY CONFERENCE ENDED HERE WITH A WARNING FROM ITS CHAIRWOMAN THAT NUCLEAR POWER ONLY HAS A FUTURE IF INTERNATIONAL SAFETY STANDARDS ARE MET. THE CHAIRWOMAN, GERMAN ENVIRONMENT MINISTER ANGELA MERKEL, SAID SAFETY MUST BE THE TOP PRIORITY. SHE SAID UNACCEPTABLE NUCLEAR SAFETY RISKS MUST BE ELIMINATED, AND, WHEN THIS IS NOT POSSIBLE, THE POWER PLANTS IN QUESTION HAVE TO BE SHUT DOWN. DURING THE CONFERENCE, THE UKRAINIAN GOVERNMENT REAFFIRMED ITS COMMITMENT TO CLOSE DOWN THE CHERNOBYL POWER PLANT IF IT GETS ENOUGH INTERNATIONAL AID TO DO SO. THERE IS GROWING CONCERN THAT THE CONCRETE SARCOPHAGUS THAT COVERS THE REACTOR THAT EXPLODED AT CHERNOBYL IN 1986 COULD COLLAPSE, AND THAT THERE COULD BE ANOTHER SERIOUS RADIOACTIVE LEAK. THE EXPLOSION AT CHERNOBYL WAS THE WORLD'S WORST NUCLEAR ACCIDENT. IT AFFECTED PEOPLE IN UKRAINE, BELARUS AND RUSSIA. ABOUT 30 PEOPLE WERE KILLED DURING THE INITIAL PHASE OF CLEAN-UP OPERATIONS. BUT DELEGATES TO THE CONFERENCE HERE GAVE DIFFERENT ASSESSMENTS OF THE HUMAN COST, THE DEATHS AND HEALTH PROBLEMS SUFFERED, UP TO NOW. THE GERMAN ENVIRONMENT MINISTER SAID MANY OF THE 200-THOUSAND WORKERS INVOLVED IN THE OVERALL CLEANUP AT CHERNOBYL RECEIVED SUBSTANTIAL DOSES OF RADIATION. DELEGATES AGREED THAT HUNDREDS OF THYROID CANCER CASES IN THE FORMER SOVIET UNION WERE DUE TO THE DISASTER. BUT, THERE WERE DOUBTS ABOUT REPORTS OF AN INCREASED NUMBER OF LEUKEMIA CASES. THE CONFERENCE ON THE 10TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ACCIDENT AT CHERNOBYL WAS SPONSORED BY THE INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY AND BY THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION. (SIGNED) NEB/WC/MH/MMK 12-Apr-96 1:18 PM EDT (1718 UTC) NNNN Source: Voice of America .