5 October 2000

Allies Must Address Nuclear Policy

On 10-11 October in Birmingham’s International Convention Centre, NATO defence ministers are meeting for their annual ‘informal’ meeting.  This will be NATO’s first meeting at ministerial level in the United Kingdom since the alliance met at Gleneagles in 1992. They will probably be talking about Kosovo, military equipment, relations with Russia, and the ever more important debate on EU-NATO relations. The discussions, however, are strictly not for public consumption – instead, the meeting and its agenda are off-the-record.

Whatever else is to be discussed at the Birmingham meeting, two important issues should be given priority: Alliance nuclear policy and US proposals for a National Missile Defence (NMD) system.   

The 19 NATO countries now are in a process of reviewing possible options for future action in the arms control arena. At the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference in New York in May, every NATO member signed up to a package of measures designed to reduce nuclear proliferation and speed up nuclear disarmament.  However, there remain questions about allies’ willingness to live up to those promises.

“It is now time for NATO to bring its own policies in line with the commitments member countries made in New York,” said BASIC Director Dan Plesch.  

In addition, the US consideration of a NMD network seems to be working counter to the pledges made at the May NPT Review Conference – threatening to spur nuclear proliferation, and further sour Western relations with Russia and China. Although President Bill Clinton has deferred a decision to deploy the controversial system, the issue remains alive in Washington. Both candidates in the upcoming US presidential elections have pledged to continue pursuit of an NMD system. It is thus imperative that NATO defence ministers use this meeting to voice more strongly the widespread opposition to NMD within allied nations to US Defense Secretary William Cohen.

The NMD issue is particularly important to the UK government, as Prime Minister Tony Blair will be required to approve the use of RAF Fylingdales by the Pentagon if the NMD plan is to work. Such involvement in the US system could have major consequences for Britain’s foreign and security policy.

For new reports on UK involvement in NMD and NATO’s ongoing arms control review process, please visit BASIC’s Web site at http://www.basicint.org. 
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For more information, please contact:
Tom McDonald or Mark Bromley on +44 20 7407 2977
or Theresa Hitchens in Washington on +1 202 785 1266.
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Click here for second press release on LEGAL ACTION AGAINST NUKES AND MISSILE DEFENCES Press Advisory 9 October, 2000
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