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Britain ready to cut nuclear arsenal, says Brown

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

London, March 17, IRNA -- Britain is prepared to further reduce its arsenal of nuclear weapons as part of a co-ordinated move with other nuclear states towards disarmament, Prime Minister Gordon Brown announced Tuesday.

In a keynote speech at Lancaster House in London, Brown said that all nuclear states should move towards disarmament to build confidence in those countries that did not have nuclear weapons, and to deter them from developing them.

His call was made in the context of offering Iran a 'test case' deal to change to what he described as 'a UN overseen civil nuclear energy program that will bring the greatest benefits to its citizens'.

"I hope that Iran will make the right choice and take advantage of the international community's willingness to negotiate, including President Obama's offer of engagement, rather than face further sanctions and regional instability," the British premier said.

His initiative was also in the context of warning that the world will fail to tackle climate change without building dozens of nuclear power plants.

In his message, Brown insisted that more must be done on 'a forward plan for multilateral disarmament -- a joint commitment shared by nuclear and non-nuclear weapons states alike'.

With regard to Britain's plans to go ahead with a new generation of Trident nuclear missiles, submarines, Brown said he was prepared to further reduce the number of warheads if possible.

He pledged that his government 'will be at the forefront of the international campaign to prevent nuclear proliferation and to accelerate multilateral nuclear disarmament', referring to Article VI of the Non-Proliferation Treaty that specifically states the nuclear power countries agree to divest themselves of them over time.

"For our part -- as soon as it becomes useful for our arsenal to be included in a broader negotiation, Britain stands ready to participate and to act," Brown said.

"Let this be a journey of hope in which hard headed cooperation by friends who were once foes defines our modern age; underpinned by a new covenant of hope that brings us a truly global society not of enemies fearful of each other but of partners with the confidence to work together," he concluded.