MOSCOW (Sputnik) — German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel expressed Wednesday his support for German Social Democratic Party (SPD) leader Martin Schulz's proposal to withdraw US nuclear weapons from German territory.
On August 23, Schulz, who is also a candidate for Germany's chancellorship, brought up the idea of having US nuclear weapons removed from Germany.
"Certainly, I am convinced that it is important to finally discuss the issues of arms control and disarmament… I found Martin Schulz's statement, concerning the elimination of nuclear weapons in our country, right," Gabriel told the DPA news agency, as quoted by the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper.
The newspaper specified, citing unconfirmed reports, that up to 20 units of US nuclear warheads are stored at the Buechel air base in the federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate.
On August 8, the United States completed the second series of flight tests for an upgraded version of its B-61 nuclear bomb, following the first tests in March.
An inert version of the B61-12 gravity bomb was dropped from an F-15E fighter-bomber at the Tonopah Test Range in Nevada on August 8 to test its non-nuclear functions as well as the plane's ability to carry the weapon, the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) said in a statement.
The tests were conducted as part of a program to extend the life of the B61 gravity bomb, which is one of the main pillars of the US Air Force's nuclear arsenal.
