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Britain Will Use Nukes If Troops Attacked With WMDs
Britain is prepared to use nuclear weapons against rogue states such as Iraq if they ever used "weapons of mass destruction" against British troops in the field, Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon said Wednesday. "They can be absolutely confident that in the right conditions we would be willing to use our nuclear weapons," Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon said. Hoon also told MPs the possibility of terrorists acquiring weapons of mass destruction was a cause for "real anxiety" and something "we would have to guard against very seriously". Britain's nuclear arsenal may not be enough to deter dictators like Saddam Hussein from targeting the country with weapons of mass destruction, Hoon warned. He told a parliamentary defence committee that there was a prospect that some "states of concern" -- such as Iraq or Libya -- "might be capable of targeting the UK" within a few years' time. His comments came in evidence to the committee's inquiry into controversial US plans for a missile defence system to protect against a ballistic missile attack. Hoon reaffirmed that, as yet, the government had not decided whether to back such a system as it had not received any firm proposal from the US. "Although the Cold War is over, we face new, emerging threats. It is right that we consider all possible elements of a comprehensive strategy," he said. His comments are likely to been seen as part of a "softening up" process to prepare the ground for Britain to accept the US plans -- which could cover Europe -- once they come forward with definite proposals. Much opinion here remains deeply opposed to the scheme, fearing it could trigger a new arms race. All rights reserved. � 2002 Agence France-Presse. Sections of the information displayed on this page (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presse. Related Links SpaceDaily Search SpaceDaily Subscribe To SpaceDaily Express 
Bush Says All Nuke Options Open
by Charles WhelanWashington (AFP) Mar 13, 2002 President George W. Bush said Wednesday that all options were open for the use of the US nuclear arsenal to deter hostile nations from threatening the United States or its allies.
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