Germany: Disarmament talks should also include China

By Ayhan Simsek

MUNICH

Chancellor Angela Merkel has suggested broader talks on global disarmament that would include China, after the collapse of a landmark nuclear arms treaty between the U.S. and Russia.

"Disarmament is something that we all have to deal with,” the German leader said at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday.

“We would be glad if such talks were held not just between the United States and Russia but also with China,” she said.

Her remarks came ahead of a planned international disarmament conference in Berlin next month, which would focus on new advanced weapons systems.

The U.S. and Russia abandoned the landmark Intermediate-Range Nuclear (INF) treaty early this month, after Washington accused Moscow of violating the treaty.

The treaty, signed in 1987 between the U.S. and Russia, was seen as a cornerstone of European security in the post-Cold War era.

It prohibited both countries from possessing and testing ground launch missiles with a range between 500 and 5,500 kilometers.