US: Nuclear states must cut stockpiles

Washington, June 26: The United States, Russia and other nuclear states must resume efforts to cut their stockpiles or risk undermining support for curbing Iran and North Korea's atomic ambitions, British Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett said.

''Our efforts on nonproliferation will be dangerously undermined if others believe that the nuclear weapon states have abandoned any commitment to disarmament,'' Beckett said in remarks at a Carnegie Endowment conference on nonproliferation yesterday.

The expiration of US-Russia arms control deals, the continued existence of large arsenals and stalemates on weapons treaties highlight the absence of a plan for moving forward, Beckett said.

''What we need is both vision, a scenario for a world free of nuclear weapons, and action, progressive steps to reduce warhead numbers and to limit the role of nuclear weapons in security policy,'' she said, adding that there were still over 20,000 warheads in the world, most held by the United States and Russia.

If disarmament efforts remain stagnant, Iran and North Korea could turn the blame for their nuclear defiance back onto states committed to curbing proliferation, Beckett said.

Beckett said that the debate over disarmament had become more immediate and more urgent with Iran and North Korea both standing in open defiance of the international community.

''Stopping and reversing nuclear proliferation in North Korea and Iran has to remain a key priority,'' Beckett said.

Iran has been hit with two sets of mild U.N. sanctions for defying calls to halt uranium enrichment. Beckett said western nations, which suspect Iran of trying to build an atomic bomb, would seek further UN sanctions against Tehran if necessary.

Reuters>