London: France has offered to create a joint nuclear deterrent with Britain by sharing submarine patrols, but London has so far opposed the idea as politically unacceptable, a newspaper reported on Friday.
Discussions have taken place on how a scheme to share nuclear deterrence might work, said the Guardian newspaper, citing unnamed British and French officials.
Both countries currently follow a system of "continuous at-sea deterrence”, running at least one nuclear-armed submarine which is submerged and undetected at any given time.
But the system has faced criticism from disarmament campaigners who question its use in a post-Cold War world.
"We have talked about the idea of sharing continuity at sea as part of a larger discussion about sharing defence burdens," a French official told the paper.
A British official confirmed the French approach, but said the suggestion would cause "outrage" during an election campaign. Britain's political parties are gearing up for a ballot which is expected to be held on May 6.
French President Nicholas Sarkozy and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown discussed the idea at a London meeting in March 2008, according to the Guardian.
A joint declaration afterwards said the two countries would "foster our bilateral dialogue on nuclear deterrence”.
PTI
First Published: Friday, March 19, 2010, 15:36