Clinton says US will disclose specific number of weapons in nuclear arsenal

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Clinton: US to reveal specifics of nuclear arsenal

UNITED NATIONS — U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Monday the Obama administration will disclose the number of weapons in its nuclear arsenal, a closely guarded secret for more than a half-century.

Clinton told a U.N. conference that the move is aimed at improving transparency in the nuclear disarmament regime and encouraging other nations to comply with it.

“Beginning today, the United States will make public the number of nuclear weapons in our stockpile and the number of weapons we have dismantled since 1991,” she said. “So for those who doubt that the United States will do its part on disarmament, this is our record, these are our commitments and they send a clear unmistakable signal.”

U.S. officials said the detailed accounting of the arsenal was expected to be released later Monday in Washington.

In her speech, Clinton also said the administration wants to join parts of regional nuclear-free treaties governing Africa and the South Pacific that would pledge to countries in those regions that the U.S. will not test atomic weapons there and offer legally binding commitments not to use or threaten to use them against countries in the zones.

Clinton said the administration would seek Senate ratification of protocols to those treaties that would cover testing and use of nuclear weapons because it understands the importance of the matter to signatories of the pacts. The U.S. signed the protocols in 1996 during former President Bill Clinton’s administration but has never sought their ratification.

In addition, Clinton said the administration would contribute $50 million to a fund run by the U.N. nuclear watchdog that would assist developing countries with civilian nuclear programs for humanitarian purposes. She said the U.S. could join a campaign to raise $100 million for the fund by the next NPT review conference in five years time.