US rules out withdrawal of nuclear weapons

She said missile defense and nuclear weapons are complementary means of deterring an attack on the United States and its alliance partners.

A copy of her prepared remarks, delivered at a private dinner she attended with representatives of 27 other NATO member countries, was provided by her staff.

Shortly before she spoke, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen told a news conference that in his view, the US nuclear weapons play a vital defensive role in Europe and should not be removed as long as other countries possess nuclear weapons.

“I do believe that the presence of the American nuclear weapons in Europe is an essential part of a credible deterrent,’’ Fogh Rasmussen said.

Some European members of NATO, including Germany, have said the time has come for the United States to withdraw its remaining Cold War-era nuclear weapons from Europe.

They cite President Obama’s pledge in Prague last year to seek a nuclear-free world.

The Germans were joined by fellow NATO members Belgium, the Netherlands, Norway, and Luxembourg late last year in requesting that the nuclear issue be put on the Tallinn agenda.

But some newer NATO members who previously were part of the former Soviet Union or its Warsaw Pact military bloc are opposed to a US nuclear withdrawal.

They argue that the presence of the weapons is the surest guarantee of their territorial integrity.

In her dinner remarks, Clinton made clear that as NATO embarks on a discussion about the future of its nuclear weapons policy, it should be guided by an agreed set of principles — starting with a commitment that decisions will be made by the group, not unilaterally by Washington.