In the present strategic context, nuclear weapons are rendered meaningless for the five major nuclear powers. Their preservation as a symbol of prestige induces other countries to maintain the weapons which they possess. The danger is particularly critical in regions where they cannot be used as instruments of crisis management. France and the UK should jointly propose a comprehensive programme of disarmament which would be implemented over several decades.
David Martin is Vice-President of the European Parliament and Michel Rocard is a member of the European Parliament and former Prime Minister of France.