23 September 2013
US and NL argue about financial liability for possible nuclear accident in the NL
The Dutch television news programme Brandpunt Reporter revealed a long-standing disagreement between the Netherlands and the United States about the liability of the US in case of a possible accident involving US nuclear weapons that are present on a military base in Volkel, the Netherlands.
The US reportedly has refused to enter into an agreement with the Netherlands concerning the financial consequences of a possible nuclear accident connected to the storage or air transport of US weapons. According to an expert interviewed by the programme, an accident occurring during an air transport is a realistic scenario, since these weapons are being transported regularly.
Brandpunt Reporter also revealed that the US and the Netherlands have set up a working group entitled ‘Netherlands United States Standing Operations Group’ in order to prepare the NL for a possible accident with a US nuclear weapon.