France Threatens Nuclear Retaliation Against Terror

France warned today it was prepared to use nuclear weapons against any state that sponsors terrorist attacks on French territory, Reuters reported (see GSN, Oct. 5, 2005).

“The leaders of states who would use terrorist means against us, as well as those who would consider using in one way or another weapons of mass destruction, must understand that they would lay themselves open to a firm and adapted response on our part,” said President Jacques Chirac.

“This response could be a conventional one. It could also be of a different kind,” Chirac said.

Chirac said the number of nuclear warheads deployed on some French submarines had been reduced as part of a strategy allowing for targeted strikes.

“Against a regional power, our choice would not be between inaction or annihilation,” he said. “The flexibility and reactivity of our strategic forces would enable us to exercise our response directly against its centers of power and its capacity to act” (Reuters/Financial Times, Jan. 19).

Back to top
About Newswire  |  Contact National Journal  |  Re-Use Guidelines © Copyright 2008 by National Journal Group, Inc. The material in this section is produced independently for NTI by National Journal Group, Inc. Any reproduction or retransmission, in whole or in part, is a violation of federal law and is strictly prohibited without the consent of the National Journal Group, Inc. All rights reserved.