Tactical Nuclear Weapons and NATO.pdf - Program on Strategic ...

These contributions reflect the debates in important
<strong>NATO</strong> member states. 20 In Germany, the population
<strong>and</strong> the current government are arguing for the
removal of <strong>NATO</strong>s TNWs from German territory. In
October 2009, the new Conservative-Liberal government
in Germany formed by the Christian Democratic
Union (CDU) <strong>and</strong> the Free Democratic Party (FDP)
released its “coalition treaty,” stating that it “will
advocate within <strong>NATO</strong> <strong>and</strong> towards our U.S. allies
a withdrawal of remaining nuclear weapons from
Germany.” 21 At the Munich Security Conference in
February 2010, Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle
declared that “the last remaining nuclear weapons in
Germany are a relic of the Cold War. They no longer
serve a military purpose.” 22 Former Secretary-General
of <strong>NATO</strong>, the former Belgian Foreign Minister Willy
Claes, together with other former Belgian politicians,
stated that “U.S. NSNW in Europe have lost all military
importance.” 23 The Dutch <strong>and</strong> Belgian governments
also advocated removal of U.S. TNWs from
Europe. Together with Germany, Norway, <strong>and</strong> Luxembourg,
these governments sent a letter in February
2010 to the <strong>NATO</strong> Secretary-General, asking him
to put the withdrawal on the agenda of the informal
<strong>NATO</strong> meeting of the foreign affairs ministers in Tallinn,
Estonia, in April 2010. At that meeting, a policy
rift opened among <strong>NATO</strong> members. U.S. Secretary of
State Hillary Clinton responded with a statement of
five principles, including the declaration that “as long
as nuclear weapons exist, <strong>NATO</strong> will remain a nuclear
alliance.” 24 But she did not rule out further reductions
or the development of confidence-building measures
in cooperation with Russia.
France st<strong>and</strong>s alone in Western Europe in its rejection
of further nuclear disarmament <strong>and</strong> is blocking
reform of <strong>NATO</strong>’s nuclear weapons policy. Paris fears
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