UK-Nuclear
Four former British foreign and defence secretaries Monday put aside their party differences to issue an appeal to the world's nuclear powers to reduce their arsenals in the hope of dissuading other countries from pursuing nuclear ambitions.

In an article titled 'Start worrying and learn to ditch the bomb,' Sir Malcolm Rifkind, Lord David Owen, Lord Hurd and Lord Robertson warn that the world is entering a dangerous new phase.

The two former Labour and two Conservative ministers argued that the only way to deal with this danger is to work multilaterally towards complete nuclear disarmament.

"We can't lecture to non-nuclear states if we don't fulfill our obligations under the Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty to cut back on our weapons," said Robertson, who also served as Nato secretary general until 2003.

"The threats have changed since the Cold War and a new initiative is needed," said Hurd, who was Foreign Secretary for the
Conservatives from 1989 to 1995.

The four said their joint article, published in the Times newspaper, said that the Non-Proliferation Treaty, for 40 years the foundation of counter- proliferation efforts, was "in need of an overhaul."
"The provisions on monitoring compliance need to be strengthened.

The monitoring provisions of the International Atomic Energy Agency's Additional Protocol, which require a state to provide access to any location where nuclear material may be present, should be accepted by all the nations," they said.

"We felt it was important that this same debate should take off in Europe in some way," said Rifkind, who served as first Defence Secretary and then Foreign Secretary between 1992 and 1997.

Owen, who was foreign secretary during the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran, also warned that the world has moved on and there was "a danger of nuclear proliferation."
"It is possible to make dramatic reductions in nuclear weapons.

People forget that President Reagan wanted to abolish nuclear weapons at the Reykjavik summit in 1986 but he was blocked. (UK Premier) Margaret Thatcher thought it too dangerous," he said.

According to the British-American Security Information Council further announcements and initiatives are expected from the UK Government and parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee in the next weeks and months that will build on the momentum behind disarmament.