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| Europe |
| NATO allies urge US nukes removal from Europe |
| 2010-02-20 |
| [Al Arabiya Latest] European NATO allies will urge President Barack Obama to remove remaining U.S. nuclear weapons from Europe, a spokesman for Belgium's prime minister said on Friday. Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg, The Netherlands and Norway will call "in the coming weeks" for scores of Cold War-era airborne American nuclear warheads to be removed from European soil, the office of Prime Minister Yves Leterme said. A joint proposal by the five NATO members will demand "that nuclear arms on European soil belonging to other NATO member states are removed," Dominique Dehaene said. No need to 'demand'; just ask. Good idea. Bring the nukes home; and if Y'urp is ever again threatened, they can depend on the EU nuclear umbrella. Only the United States has nuclear arms stored in Europe, with British and French nuclear weapons being deployed "in other countries," he added. "It's a question of launching the debate at the heart of NATO," he stressed, underlining it would form part of broader disarmament talks also focused on conventional weapons. Former NATO chief Willy Claes and three more senior Belgian political figures urged such a call in Friday's Belgian press, citing "Obama's pledge to work to eliminate all nuclear weapons." A statement from Leterme stressed that "Belgium is in favor of a world without nuclear weapons and advocates this position at the heart of NATO," in preparation for a New York conference in May on global nuclear arms non-proliferation efforts. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #10 I certainly agree getting rid of nukes is dumb and even dumber is not building new ones. Though I don't know that we need the triad. The genie will not go back in the bottle. |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2010-02-20 15:47 |
| #9 They don't equate ... but abandoning nukes *is* starting to happen under this administration, whether or not we stay in NATO. In fact, Biden is out building a case to accelerate spending in order to drawn down the stockpile faster. Link is to an article in the WAPO yesterday. It's a 'spend more to reduce the deficit' argument. |
| Posted by: lotp 2010-02-20 11:14 |
| #8 How does pulling our nukes and troops out of Europe equate to abandoning nuclear weapons, lotp? The Europe we saved in WWII has disappeared. To the one that is appearing we owe nothing except our debilitating entitlement programs. Let them grow up and assume the responsibility for their own defence. Let's get out of Nato before it sucks us into another fiasco like the Balkans. |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2010-02-20 10:36 |
| #7 That (#6) is a nearly perfect prescription for insuring that nuclear war does occur. Add to it a hollow narcissistic commander in chief and you're just about there |
| Posted by: Matt 2010-02-20 09:34 |
| #6 The current administration wants us to give up all of our nuclear weapons. They can't quite do that outright yet, but are working fast and furiously within DOD and DOE to dismantle as much as they can. The losses aren't limited to weapons - they include organizational capabilities and people with specialized expertise. So you'll get your wish NS. The capability is being cut to the bleeding bone right now. The question is whether we'll be safer as a result. |
| Posted by: lotp 2010-02-20 07:28 |
| #5 That would be a good way for DoD to contribute to deficit reduction. |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2010-02-20 03:22 |
| #4 Let's just pull all our troops out of the EU starting with ex-Yugo.... Germany wanted it broken up.. Its theirs let them deal with it. When the Afghan war ends pull out of NATO too! Just work on a North American Continental Defense pact to insure Fortress Am. The hell with the EU |
| Posted by: 3dc 2010-02-20 02:46 |
| #3 with British and French nuclear weapons being deployed "in other countries," At first I thought WTF. Then I remembered the EU has 23 official languages. Someone speaks in all the languages on some subject then around 500 language A to Language B translations are required. Some of them are bound to be a bit dodgey. |
| Posted by: phil_b 2010-02-20 01:50 |
| #2 Only the United States has nuclear arms stored in Europe, with British and French nuclear weapons being deployed "in other countries," he added. Huh? I'm sure that makes perfect sense when blitzed out on Bordeaux. A statement from Leterme stressed that "Belgium is in favor of a world without nuclear weapons and advocates this position at the heart of NATO," Well I'm certainly in favor of Belgium not having anything more dangerous than sharpened barber shears. Look what happened in the Congo the last time Belgians felt a hair grow on their balls. |
| Posted by: ed 2010-02-20 01:41 |
| #1 So now only the bad guys will have nukes. Typical European idiocy. Go for it. I am sick of saving their asses every generation. |
| Posted by: crosspatch 2010-02-20 00:29 |