World News Story

08 January 2009 02:08 BST

Nuclear deterrence 'no longer an option'

Britain must use its status as a permanent member of the UN security council to push for greater progress on nuclear non-proliferation, former Nato secretary general George Robertson has said.

Speaking as his commission on national security published its interim report in London, Lord Robertson told politics.co.uk he thinks Britain has "a special role to play" in advancing the non-proliferation agenda.

"I believe in getting some of the non-nuclear states to at least conform to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and to have a much more robust approach to the lead-up of the [treaty] review conference in 2010," he said.

"What we want to do is identify a number of key areas where we can make that much more significant."

The report from the commission, organised by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) thinktank, warns that deterrence is "no longer a sound basis for security policy in the long-term".

It says fears over state-based nuclear proliferation, a lack of security surrounding some international stocks of nuclear material and concerns over nuclear terrorism demanded more focused attention from the very highest levels of government.

The UK government should push for rapid reductions in nuclear arsenals from both Russia and the US, increase its financial backing for the International Atomic Energy Agency and invite Israeli, Pakistani and Indian officials to discussions on the problem, the report says.

Although backing a confrontation with Iran over the Middle Eastern state's own atomic agenda it dismisses this approach as a long-term solution.

The report adds: "Nuclear deterrence is no longer a sound basis upon which to base long term security strategy and the world urgently needs rapid cuts in existing nuclear arsenals and a serious strategic dialogue aimed at the pursuit of a world free of nuclear weapons altogether."