Dutch Defy Allies, Will Drop Two Nuclear Tasks Assigned by NATO

The Netherlands brushed aside objections from its allies Friday and decided to reduce the number of nuclear tasks assigned to the country by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

Under the decision, announced by Prime Minister Ruud Lubbers after a Cabinet meeting, the Netherlands will retain its nuclear-capable artillery and Lance short-range missiles, but will eliminate the nuclear capability of two squadrons of F-16 fighters and 13 Orion sea patrol planes. The patrol planes were assigned nuclear depth charges. Two other nuclear Dutch roles are being phased out by NATO.

Lubbers said the dropping of two nuclear tasks were inseparably linked to the government’s long-delayed decision to deploy 48 nuclear cruise missiles. in 1988.

“Because we see the two as a single entity, it was the line of the Cabinet that we should stick to our position on both questions,” he said.

Linked to Cruise Missiles

The cut in nuclear tasks has been widely seen as an effort to soften the blow of cruise deployment in a country where polls show a majority opposing siting.

Earlier, in Brussels, a U.S. official who requested anonymity told reporters NATO had asked the Netherlands in a letter this week to change its mind, saying shedding nuclear tasks would damage NATO.

The NATO official said that in the alliance’s strategy “there really is no such thing as conventional compensation for nuclear responsibilities.”

Even Greece and Denmark, which normally dissent from the NATO majority on the issue of medium-range nuclear weapons, had supported the message to the Dutch, he said.