22-4-10 U.S. signals its nuclear arms stay in Europe for now

The United States appeared on Thursday to rule out an early withdrawal of its battlefield nuclear weapons from Europe and said if it cut its arsenal it would want Russia to move its arms further from NATO nations.The stance sketched out by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is likely to please former Soviet satellites now in the 28-member Western security alliance who view the so-called "tactical" nuclear weapons as critical to deterring Russia.However,it may frustrate those that regard them as Cold War relics that have little military justification but bring huge risks -- including of accidents or nuclear terrorism -- to the nations that house them."As long as nuclear weapons exist,NATO will remain a nuclear alliance," Clinton said in remarks prepared for delivery to NATO foreign ministers."As a nuclear alliance,sharing nuclear risks and responsibilities is fundamental," she added in the remarks,which were released by the State Department.The reference to sharing risks and burdens implied some of the estimated 200 U.S. tactical nuclear weapons deployed in five European nations will stay for now.Russia's arsenal is estimated at 5,400 weapons,2,000 of which are deployable.Attention has turned to "tactical" nuclear bombs stationed in NATO countries and Russia since Washington and Moscow this month signed a deal to cut the number of deployed long-range, "strategic" nuclear warheads by about 30 percent.