US nuclear weapons could leave European soil

As a relic of the Cold War, US nuclear weapons are still kept at secret locations in five European countries.

Are the United States withdrawing their nuclear weapons from European countries? Not so far as the Netherlands' ministry of foreign affairs knows. In Germany, reports of this plan circulating in Washington have been noted.

But there is obviously more going on.

When Nato ministers gather in Estonia next month, the reduction of nuclear arms stored in Europe will probably be an important topic for discussion. Last week, foreign ministers from Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg, Norway and the Netherlands wrote to ask secretary general Anders Fogh Rasmussen to put the issue on the agenda.

"Arms control, disarmament, and non-proliferation are higher on the international agenda than they have been in many years," the ministers wrote. They say how this goal can be reached needs to be discussed within the North-Atlantic organisation.

Where are the bombs?

The discussion is complicated, because nobody officially knows where in Europe the American nuclear weapons are stored. The Netherlands is said to hold a small arsenal at airbase Volkel. Germany supposedly has ten to twenty nuclear warheads at Büchel airforce base. Belgian airbase Brogel is often mentioned as a possible storage for a number of tactical nuclear bombs.

Reports by The New York Times earlier this week said the United States have begun conversations with allies in Germany, Italy, Belgium, Turkey and the Netherlands about whether to withdraw these weapons. The move could be part of the new nuclear strategy the White House wants to present to Congress in a couple of weeks.

The Dutch foreign ministry denies such a dialogue is taking place, but it did refer to the letter sent to Nato by the five foreign ministers. European pressure to get rid of the remaining American nuclear arms is strong. German vice-chancellor and foreign minister Guido Westerwelle has made nuclear disarmament one of his key issues. Since he assumed office in October 2009, Westerwelle has repeatedly pointed out that he wants this to be one of the distinguishing accomplishments of his time. The German coalition agreement between the CDU/CSU and FDP parties literally says the parties want to devote themselves to "having the nuclear weapons situated in Germany withdrawn", in cooperation with the US.

Who will make the first move?

At the end of last year, four prominent former ministers in the Netherlands called on their government to play an active role in establishing a nuclear free world. Four Belgian ex-ministers incited their government to do the same. Like their Dutch counterparts, they feel everybody is waiting for someone else to make the first move. Ideally, the withdrawal from Europe would be part of an agreement that involves the US and Russia. . "But," the Belgian ministers wrote, "sometimes we have to dare and set the example, hoping it will inspire others."

Maxime Verhagen, the Netherlands' foreign minister, was never in favour of unilateral disarmament, which he considered "counter productive". But now it seems he too is starting to move in the other direction. In a press release that the foreign ministry sent out accompanying the letter to Nato he still said, "Unilateral efforts will make it harder –not easier– to achieve a genuine reduction in nuclear weapons worldwide." But he added, "this might be an option if a nuclear-free Europe proves to make a real contribution to nuclear disarmament throughout the world.”

In Germany, coalition partner CDU/CSU is trying to keep liberal minister Westerwelle in check. "The minister is way ahead of the pack on this one; he is not taking into consideration that his remarks can have effects on the countries around us that also have American nuclear weapons stored," one insider said. He pointed out that the minister's words could hit a nerve in Eastern European Nato allies that are still counting on the US arsenal to guarantee their safety from Russia. "We can only reach our goal through negotiations, not by a unilateral proclamation."