France Quietly Upgrades Nuclear Arsenal

INTERNATIONAL

COMMENTLINE
France moves to upgrade its nuclear weapons just weeks after president Jacques Chirac warned of a nuclear retaliation to states which threatened the country.

NEWSLINES
"These evolutions are aimed at better taking into account the psychology of the enemy," defence minister Michèle Alliot-Marie said after President Chirac's warning in January.

In a speech to MPs, she added: "A potential enemy may think that France, given its principles, might hesitate to use the entire force of its nuclear arsenal against civilian populations."

NEWSBYTE
France secretly upgrades capacity of nuclear arsenal
(The Guardian) -- France has secretly modified its nuclear arsenal to increase the strike range and accuracy of its weapons. The move comes weeks after President Jacques Chirac warned that states which threatened the country could face the "ultimate warning" of a nuclear retaliation.

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