"OT"
US signals nuclear strike response to attacks
By Edward Alden in Washington
Published: March 10 2002 19:53 | Last Updated: March 11 2002 02:52
news.ft.com
Changes in US nuclear weapons strategy will send a clear message to states such as Iran, Iraq and North Korea that large-scale attacks against the US or its allies would be met with devastating consequences, officials said on Sunday.
In a significant switch in nuclear planning, the US will focus more on hostile nations that have or could develop weapons of mass destruction than on traditional nuclear weapons states such as Russia and China.
Condoleezza Rice, national security adviser to President George W. Bush, said on NBC on Sunday that the only way to deter adversaries from using weapons of mass destruction "is to be clear that it would be met with a devastating response".
The stance, contained in a report presented to Congress in January, was leaked over the weekend as Dick Cheney, US vice-president, arrived in London on Sunday on the first-leg of a tour of Europe and the Middle East to discuss the war on terrorism and the US posture on Iraq.
The report, which also names Libya and Syria as countries at which US nuclear deterrence should be aimed, risks alarming Arab and European allies. Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, Iran's influential former president, said on Sunday the US was trying to intimidate other nations. |
