BELGIAN PREMIER RESPONDS POSITIVELY TO ELDER

C O N F I D E N T I A L BRUSSELS 000203 C O R R E C T E D C O P Y (TEXT) SIPDIS STATE FOR EUR/WE, EUR/RPM, PM/PPA, ISN/NNPN AND VCI/NA E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/22/2020 TAGS: MNUC MARR PREL PGOV NATO BE SUBJECT: BELGIAN PREMIER RESPONDS POSITIVELY TO ELDER STATESMEN'S CALL FOR REMOVING TACTICAL NUCLEAR WEAPONS FROM EUROPE REF: A. 09 BRUSSELS 1044 ¶B. 09 BRUSSELS 1248 ¶C. 09 BRUSSELS 1285 Classified By: Acting Deputy Chief of Mission Andrea Nelson, reason 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (U) On February 19, four elder statesmen of Belgian foreign policy, Former NATO Secretary General and Belgian Foreign Minister Willy Claes (Sp.a, Flemish Socialist), former Prime Minister Jean-Luc Dehaene (CD&V, Flemish Christian Democrat),former Foreign Minister Louis Michel (MR, francophone liberal),and former Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt (Open VLD, Flemish liberal) signed an editorial in the Flemish newspaper De Standaard, urging the removal of NATO's tactical nuclear weapons from Europe. The four politicians expressed full support for President Obama's desire to eventually rid the world of nuclear weapons. They said that with the end of the Cold War, it is time for nuclear policy to adapt to changed circumstances, particularly the increased risk of proliferation to unstable or hostile countries. They pose a choice between a world where more and more countries have nuclear weapons or one where the nine current nuclear weapon states focus on eliminating their stockpiles. The 2010 NPT review conference is a unique opportunity to take steps in tht direction, they said, and ultimately, nuclear weapons should be banned by an international treaty the same as chemical weapons. ¶2. (C) The four statesmen argue that U.S. tactical nuclear weapons in Europe no longer have a point. Their political usefulness as a symbol of Transatlantic unity is outweighed by the signal to the world that such weapons are "necessary", they say. There is strong public support for removal of the weapons in Belgium, they contend, and they call on the Belgian government to "take active steps within NATO" for their rapid removal. Ideally, they continue, this would happen in a negotiation with Russia, so a proportional reduction of the Russian weapons is achieved, but they would accept a unilateral move in order to set an example for the Russians. Finally, they distinguish the issue of tactical nuclear weapons in Europe from the issue of missile defense. "When talking about controlling the most destructive weapons of mass destruction, real steps toward disarmament are more effective than questionable technologies that are perceived as destabilizing by great powers that do not have them." While it is probably a good thing they seek to separate the two issues, the four politicians' statement was far from a ringing endorsement of missile defense for Europe. ¶3. (SBU) Later the same day, Prime Minister Leterme issued a statement that took note of the editorial appeal. According to an aide to the PM, the statesmen's editorial was not coordinated with the PM's office. But having read the editorial, the PM felt that it was the right time to state his government's position. In his statement, the PM recalled the GOB's previously announced position on nuclear arms in Europe. He said Belgium favors a world without nuclear arems and is defending that position within NATO in preparation for the NPT review conference in May. Belgium "will take an initiative in that sense with Germany, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Norway in the framework of the review of NATO's strategic concept this year," he said. However, he continued that "concrete advances will not be possible except through a serious concertation among NATO partners and with due regard for progress in negotiations in progress in the area of disarmament." He concluded by saying that the Belgian government wants to seize the opportunity offered by President Obama's call for a world without nuclear weapons. ¶4. (C) Comment: The GOB has heretofore resisted German-led efforts to organize an effort within NATO to abandon tactical nuclear weapons in Europe. That position now seems to have changed, although what has not changed is the government's commitment to pursue its goals in consultation with its NATO allies, and with an eye to disarmament negotiations in other fora. Leterme's spokesman, Dominique Dehaene, confirmed to the press that the initiative will be for "removal of nuclear arms on European soil belonging to other member states". Reportedly, the proposal does not refer to the British or French national nuclear arsenals. Embassy will explore the shape of the initiative with appropriate Belgian officials. The four statesmen's editorial was enthusiastically welcomed by francophone Socialist Senator Philippe Mahoux, who continues to promote a bill in the Belgian Parliament that would unilaterally ban nuclear weapons from Belgian soil (ref A). The government has quietly but consistently opposed this bill in the halls of Parliament and there is so far no indication that it is any closer to becoming law than previously. GUTMAN .