Netherlands criticised over nuclear reduction

Press, 5 December 1985, Page 10

Netherlands criticised over nuclear reduction

NZPA-Reuter Brussels N.A.T.O. Defence Ministers have criticised a unilateral decision by the Netherlands to reduce the nuclear roles of its armed forces and appealed to the Dutch to reconsider, said officials. A senior N.A.T.O. official said the Ministers were “profoundly unhappy” with the Dutch decision to eliminate two wartime nuclear tasks assigned to its air force when United States cruise missiles are deployed in the Netherlands in 1988.

“Nearly all of them made the point that the political implications for sharing risks and burdens on the part of the Dutch by dropping these two roles were unwelcome,” he said. The most outspoken criticism came from the other countries deploying United States cruise and Pershing-2 missiles, Britain, West Germany, Italy and Belgium. Diplomats said the British Defence Secretary, Michael Heseltine, called the decision “profoundly disturbing” and suggested the Dutch had given in to pressure from anti-nuclear protest movements.

The Dutch Defence Minister, Jacob de Ruiter, replied that it might otherwise have been impossible to persuade his Parliament to approve the basing of the 48 cruise missiles. The Dutch Cabinet decided last Friday to drop the nuclear roles assigned to two squadrons of F-16 fighters and 13 Orion sea patrol planes in spite of a Eersonal appeal by the LA.T.O. Secretary-General, Lord Carrington, to the Prime Minister, Mr Ruud Lubbers. The N.A.T.O. official said the Ministers did give credit to the Dutch for agreeing to deploy cruise missiles but diplomats said the discussion was one of the harshest exchanges heard at a N.A.T.O. meeting. They quoted the Italian Defence Minister, Giovanni Spadolini, as saying the Dutch decision was “highly inappropriate.” Italy had accepted its share of cruise missiles and maintained its nuclear tasks in spite of having the largest Commun-

ist party in the West, he said.

The Belgian Defence Min-

ister, Francois-Xavier de Donnea, whose Government also accepted 48 cruise missiles earlier this year “in spite of widespread protests,” said the Dutch move could have most serious and damaging effects on nuclear deterrence, the diplomats

reported. They said the United States Defence Secretary, Caspar Weinberger, also attacked the move and warned that other countries would have to pick up the nuclear tasks which the Dutch were dropping.