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ITN news article: Israel evacuates embassy on radiation fear
URL is http://www.itn.co.uk/World/world20000518/051809w.htm
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Israel evacuates embassy on radiation fear
Israel is to evacuate its embassy in the ex-Soviet republic of Belarus on fear of a radioactive scare in the region - a legacy of the 1986 nuclear disaster at Chernobyl in nearby Ukraine.
Wild fires there have stirred up radioactive elements remaining in the environment and raised radiation levels downwind in Belarus.
The Israelis decided to repatriate their staff in Belarus for routine medical checks "because of the rise in radioactivity", said a spokesman.
President Bill Clinton is due to visit the Ukraine on June 6 after summit talks in Moscow with Russian President Vladimir Putin. A White House official said there was no reason for Clinton to change plans.
The developments are said not to be related to yet another mechanical breakdown at Chernobyl.
Officials at the plant said a breakdown in a steam pipeline caused a turbo generator in the reactor to switch off. Repairs are expected to take until Saturday to complete, said an official at the Emergencies Ministry in Kiev.
Ukraine has promised to close the plant altogether later this year.
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