Eduardo González
The Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, recalled this Saturday, at the Munich Security Conference, the Palomares (Almería) nuclear accident, which occurred exactly sixty years ago, to call on the US and Russia to negotiate a new START Nuclear Arms Reduction Treaty.
“I would like to humbly ask all these powerful nations: please, stop nuclear rearmament,” said Pedro Sánchez during his speech on the panel entitled “On Par? Strengthening the Foundations of Transatlantic Security,” which also included the President of Finland, Alexander Stubb; the Prime Minister of Denmark, Mette Frederiksen; and Christopher A. Coons, a Democratic member of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a staunch opponent of US President Donald Trump.
According to Sánchez, “nuclear deterrence demands zero errors” and, consequently, “it is not a guarantee but a dangerous gamble.” “Sit down, negotiate, and sign a new START Treaty that guarantees the continuity of the one that has just expired,” he urged.
The New START Treaty, or START III, was signed in 2010 by the then Russian and US presidents, Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev, and entered into force in 2011. Its objective was to limit and verify the strategic nuclear arsenals of the United States and Russia.
The Treaty expired on February 5th, and the United States and Russia have not agreed to an extension, despite Moscow’s proposal to extend it by one year. The Trump administration has not responded to the proposal and has simply called for a new treaty that includes China. With the end of the treaty, it is the first time in half a century that there is no verifiable legal limit on the strategic nuclear arsenals of the United States and Russia.
“As a non-nuclear country that witnessed nuclear bombs accidentally falling on its own territory in 1966, I implore you: prevent the start of a new arms race while it is still possible,” he continued. “Humanity will be eternally grateful and will judge you harshly if you fail to do so,” he warned. Sixty years ago, two US Air Force planes collided near Palomares. Two of the four thermonuclear bombs carried by one of the aircraft fell to the ground, causing an explosion that scattered 20 kilograms of plutonium.
Furthermore, Sánchez reiterated the need to “stop” Russian President Vladimir Putin. “We must strengthen our deterrent capabilities, but let us do so in a coordinated and targeted way that we can control,” he warned. “Let us build a true European army, not in ten years, but now. Spain will contribute all the necessary resources,” he concluded.