UN Nuclear Chief: US, Russia Must Disarm

OSLO, Norway (AP) — Russia and the United States should reduce their nuclear arsenals and lead the way toward a world free of atomic weapons, the U.N. nuclear watchdog chief said Tuesday.

"Their continued reliance on nuclear weapons as the cornerstone of their security sends the wrong message," Mohamed ElBaradei said at a nuclear disarmament conference in the Norwegian capital, Olso.

ElBaradei, who leads the International Atomic Energy Agency, also urged the former Cold War foes to take their nuclear weapons off high alert and resume disarmament talks.

"The risk of accident or miscalculation would be dramatically lowered if weapons were taken off the Cold War hair-trigger alert," he said.

The U.N. General Assembly's disarmament committee called in November for all nuclear weapons to be taken off high alert, over objections from the United States, Britain and France. AP