Disarmament Diplomacy

Issue No. 27, June 1998

Austrian Chancellor Stresses Opposition to NATO Nuclear Policy

On 26 June, the British Guardian newspaper quoted an extract from an interview by Austrian Chancellor Victor Klima stressing the unacceptability of NATO's nuclear doctrine to Austria. Austrian accession to NATO is favoured by Foreign Minister Wolfgang Schussel, leader of the Austrian People's Party, junior coalition partners to Klima's Social Democrats. According to Klima: "Unless NATO changes substantially, there will be no [Austrian] entry. It still has a nuclear doctrine, still has the option of a nuclear first-strike, and in the event of war we would have to station nuclear weapons on our territory, as well as foreign troops. We can do more for Austria's and Europe's security if we continue our current path [of neutrality]."

Report: Austrian pact at odds over nuclear NATO, The Guardian, 26 June.

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