Britain ready to cut warheads if others do it too, says Brown
July 10th, 2009 - 4:24 pm ICT by ANI
L’Aquila (Italy), July 10 (ANI): Britain is ready to cut its number of nuclear warheads in its Trident weapons system as part of a global deal, The Telegraph reports.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown is reported to have said that US-brokered talks next year could pave the way for the UK to reduce its 160-warhead arsenal in return for proof from would-be nuclear states that they had stopped their weapons programmes.
Speaking at the G-8 summit here, Brown insisted there was no question of abandoning plans to replace the Trident weapons system.
“What we need is collective action by the nuclear weapons powers to say that we are prepared to reduce our nuclear weapons, but we need assurances also that other countries will not proliferate them,” Brown was quoted, as saying.
US President Barack Obama has invited as many as 30 nations to nuclear talks in Washington next March.
The White House said the talks would focus on preventing the spread of nuclear material to rogue states and terrorist groups.
Brown said the meeting could also help draw up a replacement to the international Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
The British Government has never specified what the new number will be, and precise figures have been kept confidential.
However, Britain’s operational nuclear deterrent is routinely based on fewer than 50 warheads. (ANI)
- India, Pakistan continue to amass nukes: SIPRI - Jun 07, 2011
- Pakistan has bigger nuke arsenal than India: Report - Aug 02, 2010
- Pakistan has 100 n-weapons; edges ahead of India: Report - Jan 31, 2011
- Pakistan to become world's fourth-largest nuclear arsenal state by end of decade: Expert - Mar 31, 2011
- Nuclear conference adopts disarmament measures - May 29, 2010
- 'Rapidly expanding' Pak arsenal now possesses over 100 deployed nuke weapons: Expert - Jan 31, 2011
- US reveals it has 5,113 nuclear warheads (Lead) - May 04, 2010
- US mulls steep nuclear arsenal cuts - Feb 15, 2012
- UN asks for agreement on nuclear disarmament - May 28, 2010
- US has over 5000 existing nuclear war-heads - May 04, 2010
- Hillary blames India, Pakistan for nuclear proliferation - Apr 10, 2010
- India, France to enhance international non proliferation initiatives - Dec 06, 2010
- US to seek India, Pakistan help in limiting nukes (Lead) - Apr 10, 2010
- US, Russia close to signing deal on nuke weapons reduction - Mar 25, 2010
- India gets tough on NPT signing - Dec 15, 2009
Tags: aquila italy, barack obama, collective action, g 8 summit, global deal, non proliferation treaty, nuclear deterrent, nuclear material, nuclear non proliferation treaty, nuclear states, nuclear talks, nuclear warheads, nuclear weapons powers, precise figures, prime minister gordon brown, rogue states, telegraph reports, trident weapons, warhead, weapons system
