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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 
 
 
 
 
 
 
.