Pre NATO summit squabbles over nuclear arms reduction

The French are also dismissive of Obama’s vision of a nuclear-free world, laid out last year in Prague, while the Germans view it enthusiastically as the trigger for a new age of arms reduction and non-proliferation.

Germany and France in nuclear weapons dispute ahead of Nato summit Merkel and Sarkozy set to meet on fringes of Lisbon meeting to try to hammer out deal and rescue summit from failure  Ian Traynor in Brussels * guardian.co.uk,  18 November 2010 Germany and France are at odds over how strongly Nato should push nuclear disarmament, casting a cloud over an alliance summit tomorrow in Lisbon being billed as the most important since 2002.

With Berlin and Paris locked in dispute over arms control, nuclear deterrence, and plans to cover Europe with a missile shield against ballistic rocket attack, Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Nicolas Sarkozy are expected to meet on the fringes of the Lisbon meeting to try to hammer out a last-minute formula and rescue the summit from failure…….

France, however, is highly sceptical of the merits of missile defence, while the Germans see it as a way of lessening reliance on nuclear weapons. The French are also dismissive of Obama’s vision of a nuclear-free world, laid out last year in Prague, while the Germans view it enthusiastically as the trigger for a new age of arms reduction and non-proliferation.The wording of the new blueprint describes both the nuclear deterrent and missile defence as “core elements” of Nato defence strategy….

Germany and France in nuclear weapons dispute ahead of Nato summit | World news | The Guardian

November 19, 2010 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | 2 WORLD, politics international | antinuclear, France, nuclear costs, nuclear weapons