By Ariane Bernard
THURSDAY, JANUARY 19, 2006

PARIS President Jacques Chirac said Thursday that France would consider a nuclear response against any state-backed terrorist strike against its interests.

"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," Chirac said in a speech at a nuclear submarine base in Brittany.

He mentioned no countries by name.

"This response could be a conventional one," he said. "It could also be of a different kind."

The Elysée Palace said that the remarks represented a regular exercise in nuclear doctrine, which takes place every five years.

But it was the first time that a French president publicly spelled out the possibility of nuclear retaliation against a state-backed terrorist strike. In the past, France has usually said that nuclear weapons could be used if its "vital interests" were at risk.

François Heisbourg, special adviser at the Foundation for Strategic Research in Paris, said the speech reflected a change. "In French doctrine, nuclear weapons are meant to deter attacks against 'vital interests' to create uncertainty among potential attackers about that these interests could be," he said. "But here, things get defined. That's a change."

Bruno Tertrais, a military specialist at the Foundation for Strategic Research, told The Associated Press: "This is a message to any kind of regional power that might believe it could bypass French nuclear deterrence by using terrorist means. This is really Chirac's nuclear energy."

Chirac couched his directive within other long-lasting precedents, saying that France does not plan to use nuclear weapons in a military conflict and adding that France's "nuclear deterrence is not intended to deter fanatical terrorists" that operate around the globe outside of government.

Opposition assails remarks

The Communist opposition party and disarmament groups said Chirac's comments were irresponsible, Reuters reported from Paris.

"Far from ridding France of nuclear weapons, the president is, on the contrary, considering the actual use of nuclear bombs," the Sortir du Nucléaire group said.

The Communist deputy, Jacques Brunhes, said Chirac's position could pose a threat that would cause other nations to acquire nuclear arms: "It can only encourage states which have signed the Nonproliferation Treaty to opt for military uses of nuclear technology."

Experts believe the French arsenal comprises about 300 warheads.

The French nuclear deterrent accounts for about 10 percent of the overall defense budget.

PARIS President Jacques Chirac said Thursday that France would consider a nuclear response against any state-backed terrorist strike against its interests.

"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," Chirac said in a speech at a nuclear submarine base in Brittany.
International Herald Tribune