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Obama seeks nuclear-free world on Europe charm tour
Prague (AFP) April 5, 2009 Barack Obama mapped out Sunday his vision for a world free of nuclear weapons on the latest leg of his tour of Europe after venting his fury at North Korea's "provocative" rocket launch. On the third leg of his maiden swing through the continent, Obama was in the Czech Republic whose prime minister recently branded the White House's plans to revive the US economy as "a road to hell". But any offence taken by the undiplomatic language of his hosts is likely to be buried by Obama who has won over Europe's major leaders on his trips to London for a G20 summit and a NATO gathering hosted by France and Germany. Thousands of Czechs waited since before dawn to catch a chance to hear Obama deliver a keynote nuclear proliferation address outside Prague Castle which took on added significance overnight with news that North Korea had carried out its pledge to fire a rocket over Japan. "With this provocative act, North Korea has ignored its international obligations, rejected unequivocal calls for restraint, and further isolated itself from the community of nations," Obama said in a statement from Prague. "We will immediately consult with our allies in the region, including Japan and the Republic of Korea, and members of the UN Security Council to bring this matter before the Council." Much of the speech is expected to focus on easing nuclear tensions with Russia which has been angered by plans from Obama's predecessor George W. Bush for an anti-missile shield to be placed in the Czech Republic and Poland. In the statement issued before the speech, Obama confirmed plans to negotiate a new strategic arms reduction treaty with Russia by the end of the year as part of an overall objective of a creating a "world without nuclear weapons". "The new treaty will reduce strategic offensive arms below the levels of the 2002 Moscow Treaty on Strategic Offensive Reductions, which allows for 1,700 to 2,200 operationally deployed strategic nuclear warheads," it said. The White House also said that Obama would seek Senate ratification of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty and call for a global summit on nuclear security in the speech. The summit would discuss how to forge new partnerships to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and to secure nuclear materials. Gary Samore, Obama's pointman on weapons for mass destruction, said the president was under no illusions that his "very ambitious" vision for a nuclear-free world would soon become reality. "In terms of a nuclear-free world, I think we all recognise this is not a near-term possibility," Samore told a conference call in Washington. "What we're talking about are practical measures we can take in the near term that will demonstrate our commitment to achieving a nuclear-free world and will move us in that direction in terms of reducing existing arsenals." Czech Deputy Premier Alexandr Vondra told AFP last week he did not expect the United States to scrap its missile shield plans, despite Obama's decision to review the scheme which Moscow opposes. "It's up to the Americans to say what their ideas are," he said. The shield project was officially devised by Bush to defend against long-range ballistic missiles possibly fired by "rogue states" such as Iran, but Moscow views it as a threat to Russian security. While the Czechs have been choosing their words carefully on the missile shield, Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek has made little effort to disguise his opposition to Obama's spending plans, telling EU lawmakers last month they represented the "road to hell". The White House brushed off Topolanek's comments as being for domestic consumption, coming the day after his government was defeated in a no-confidence motion. The summit was to have been the icing on the cake of the Czechs' six-month EU presidency, but Topolanek's domestic political woes have hampered his ability to speak on behalf of the 27-nation bloc. Obama's visit has turned Prague's historic centre into a well-guarded fortress with 4,000 police officers on duty. There is a rally protesting the US missile shield, scheduled for Sunday afternoon. After the summit, Obama heads to Turkey on the final leg of what is his first trip as president outside North America. Share This Article With Planet Earth
Related Links 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 launch called 'reckless', 'provocative'
Tokyo (AFP) April 5, 2009North Korea's rocket launch Sunday rattled all of East Asia and US President Barack Obama led global condemnation of what he called an attempt to provoke trouble. |
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