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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2009
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 UN SUMMIT 
6

Brown Eyes Nuke Bank, Will Cut Sub Fleet

British PM seeks reductions, but rejects complete nuclear disarmament

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(Newser) – Gordon Brown takes the stage at the United Nations today with an eye toward nuclear disarmament, reports the BBC, and he'll begin by offering to cut Britain's fleet of Trident nuclear submarines from four to three. While the British PM maintains full nuclear disarmament isn't an option, in an op-ed in the New York Times today, he calls for "access to civil atomic energy via an international uranium bank for states that renounce current or future nuclear arms."

"We reject unilateral nuclear disarmament for ourselves precisely because the world cannot end up in a situation where responsible powers get rid of their weapons, but the danger of nuclear proliferation by other powers remains," Britain's foreign secretary said.

Sailors are seen aboard the HMS Vanguard, in Holy Loch, Scotland.
Sailors are seen aboard the HMS Vanguard, in Holy Loch, Scotland.   (AP Photo/PA, Chris Bacon, File)
A protest site at Scotland's Faslane Naval Base.
A protest site at Scotland's Faslane Naval Base.   (©monkeypuzzle)
British PM Gordon Brown and Japan's counterpart Yukio Hatoyama head to have a bilateral meeting at the United Nations headquarters Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2009.
British PM Gordon Brown and Japan's counterpart Yukio Hatoyama head to have a bilateral meeting at the United Nations headquarters Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2009.   (AP Photo/Hiroshi Kawai, Japan Pool)
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown gestures during a media conference at a special EU summit at the EU Council building in Brussels, Thursday, Sept. 17, 2009.
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown gestures during a media conference at a special EU summit at the EU Council building in Brussels, Thursday, Sept. 17, 2009.   (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)
Britain's Prime Minister Gordon Brown delivers his speech to delegates at the annual Trades Union Congress in Liverpool, England, Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2009.
Britain's Prime Minister Gordon Brown delivers his speech to delegates at the annual Trades Union Congress in Liverpool, England, Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2009.   (AP Photo/Dave Thompson/PA)
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown tours the production line of the new Vauxhall Astra, Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2009 in Ellesmere Port, England. ZZ
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown tours the production line of the new Vauxhall Astra, Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2009 in Ellesmere Port, England. ZZ   (AP Photo/ Christopher Furlong, Pool)
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Moving from four subs to three frankly looks like tinkering at the edges. - British Liberal Democrat Edward Davey on Brown's proposed cut to the UK's submarine fleet

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6 comments
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Timinator2K
Sep 23, 09 9:11 AM CDT
Nuclear disarmament is like the liberal wet dream of gun control in the US where law-abiding citizens will be denied gun ownership and criminals will have, and use, all the guns they want...and would eventually become folk heroes for defying the wimp system. Reply
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odowd80
Sep 23, 09 9:40 AM CDT
Except that nobody uses nuclear weapons, and for good reason. They are expensive to maintain and we don't need hundreds of thousands of warheads when 50 will obliterate any enemy imaginable and destroy the planetary ecosystem in the process (the conservative wet dream).
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-1
IN RESPONSE:
Rob
Sep 23, 09 9:54 AM CDT
The reason no one uses them is the threat of retaliation. Si vis pacem, para bellum.
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+2
IN RESPONSE:
IndependentThinker
Sep 23, 09 4:43 PM CDT
I am a liberal and I am against gun control. I am for bullet control tho.
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0
Winston
Sep 23, 09 12:15 PM CDT
We (I'm British) can't even use these nukes without the white house's permission - we don't have the codes! We pay billions just to appease our ex-imperialist ego. Reply
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+1

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