President Nicolas Sarkozy announced a modest cut Friday in France’s nuclear arsenal, to fewer than 300 warheads, and urged China and the United States to commit to no more weapons tests. Nicolas Sarkozy says France will reduce its number of nuclear warheads to below 300. In his first major speech as president on France’s nuclear “strike force,” Sarkozy said atomic weapons would remain a vital component of its defenses to deter potential attackers. “It is the nation’s life insurance policy,” he said. Sarkozy said that while France faces no foreseeable danger of invasion, other threats exist. He singled out Iran’s expansion and improvement of its long-range missile forces amid what he called “grave suspicions” about whether the Iranians are trying to develop atomic weapons. “The security of Europe is at stake,” he said.
