• Military

• WMD Menu                           

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

UK should halve its nuclear warheads, say Lib Dems

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

London, Dec 1, IRNA
UK Lib Dems-Nuclear Weapons
Britain should halve the number of its nuclear warheads to show that disarmament under the terms of the Non-Proliferation Treaty is back on the international agenda, the country's third largest party, the Liberal Democrats, said Friday.

Lib Dem leader Sir Menzies Campbell also said a decision on whether to replace the UK's Trident nuclear missile system should not be made until after 2014 when a clearer picture of nuclear threats and proliferation is known.

Campbell argued that the UK could use the cut in warheads to kick-start multilateral disarmament talks and send a "strong signal to non-nuclear weapons states that Britain takes its obligations under the Non-Proliferation Treaty seriously."

The Lib Dem's compromise position to reduce the number of warheads to 100 comes ahead of the government publishing its white paper on Monday regarding replacing the submarine-based Trident system.

Prime Minister Tony Blair has been arguing that the government needs a quick decision to ensure any replacement is ready when Trident's working life ends in 2024.

In a written statement, the Lib Dem leader argued that it would be "unwise at this time for Britain to abandon its nuclear weapons altogether."

"But a deterrent of approximately half the current size, and extending the life of the current submarine system, would be sufficient to provide for Britain's ultimate security until we have more certainty about proliferation," he said.

Opinion between Britain's parties are divided over the option, with Blair facing a potential rebellion against any replacement from nearly 100 Labour MPs who have been demanding a parliamentary vote on the issue.

In such a case, Blair ironically would need to depend upon support from the main opposition Conservatives, who are largely in favour of Britain retaining a nuclear deterrent.

As a possible compromise, the all-party Defence Committee is considering putting forward a "middle way" of overhauling, rather than replacing, the submarine fleet carrying the US-made Trident missiles.

2220/345/1771