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British Lawmakers Will Vote On Whether To Renew Nuclear Deterrent
London (AFP) Jul 20, 2006 Members of the House of Commons, Britain's elected lower house of parliament, will be given a vote on whether Britain should renew its nuclear deterrent force, a cabinet minister said Thursday. Prime Minister Tony Blair paved the way "two weeks ago when he did point out that we were the first government to give the house a vote over decisions to go to war," House leader Jack Straw said. "Of course we should involve the house fully in a decision as important as the renewal of our nuclear deterrent," Straw said. "And in practical terms it is inevitable that there will therefore be a chance for the house to express its view on this important matter in a vote," Straw added. Straw did not say whether members of parliament from the governing Labour Party would be given a free vote on replacing the Trident nuclear missile system. Britain's current nuclear deterrent was set up in the 1980s by then prime minister Margaret Thatcher, when the Soviet Union -- not global terrorist groups such as Al-Qaeda -- was seen as the primary threat. It is based on four Royal Navy submarines fitted with US-built Trident missiles which are due to become obsolete in the 2020s. One of the submarines is always on patrol, but the missiles are no longer pre-targeted. Replacing the deterrent is likely to cost anywhere from 10 billion to 25 billion pounds (14.6 billion to 36.4 billion euros, 18.6 billion to 46.1 billion dollars), observers say.
Source: Agence France-Presse Community Email This Article Comment On This Article Related Links Learn about nuclear weapons doctrine and defense at SpaceWar.com Learn about nuclear weapons doctrine and defense at SpaceWar.com Learn about missile defense at SpaceWar.com All about missiles at SpaceWar.com Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com
North Korea Scraps North-South Family Reunions
Seoul (AFP) Jul 19, 2006North Korea said Wednesday it would scrap cross-border family reunions on the divided peninsula, accusing Seoul of siding with its Western allies in the standoff over Pyongyang's missile launches. |
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