The World : Palau Shifts Nuclear Stand

Voters in the Pacific island state of Palau decisively scrapped their anti-nuclear status in exchange for what President Lazarus Salii calls economic survival. Nearly complete returns from a constitutional amendment referendum Tuesday show that about 71% of Palauans voted for lifting a constitutional prohibition against nuclear weapons and technology. They also eliminated a requirement that 75% voter approval is needed to approve a proposed compact of free association with the United States. It would allow U.S. nuclear-capable ships and planes in Palau, solidify U.S. influence in the Western Pacific and grant Palau nearly $1 billion in U.S. economic aid.