France and weapons of mass destruction

France is said to have an arsenal of 350 nuclear weapons stockpiled as of 2002 http://www.nrdc.org/nuclear/nudb/datab16.asp. The weapons are part of the national Force de frappe. France is one of the five "Nuclear Weapons States" (NWS) under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which France ratified in 1992.

Related Topics:
France - Nuclear weapon - Force de frappe - Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty - 1992

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France never ratified the Partial Test Ban Treaty, leaving it open to conduct nuclear tests at will. In 1972, Greenpeace managed to delay nuclear tests by several weeks with its ship illegally trespassing in the testing zone. The skipper, David McTaggart, was beaten and severely injured by members of the French military. Later, the Greenpeace ship Rainbow Warrior was bombed and sunk by the French DGSE in Auckland, New Zealand, as it prepared for another protest of nuclear testing in French military zones. One crew member, Fernando Pereira of Portugal, photographer, drowned on the sinking ship while attempting to recover his photographic equipment. Two members of DGSE were sentenced to 10 years imprisonment in New Zealand. President Chirac's decision to run a nuclear test series at Mururoa in 1996, just one year before the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty was to be signed, caused worldwide protest.

Related Topics:
Partial Test Ban Treaty - 1972 - Greenpeace - David McTaggart - Rainbow Warrior - Bombed and sunk - DGSE - Auckland - New Zealand - Nuclear test - Fernando Pereira - Portugal - Chirac - Mururoa - 1996 - Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty

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France denies currently having chemical weapons, ratified the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) in 1995, and acceded to the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BWC) in 1984. France had also ratified the Geneva Protocol in 1926.

Related Topics:
Chemical weapon - Chemical Weapons Convention - 1995 - Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention - 1984 - Geneva Protocol - 1926

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