The new German Foreign Minister, Mr Joschka Fischer, challenged NATO yesterday to reduce its dependence on nuclear deterrence in the post-Cold War world, but the alliance's atomic powers politely rebuffed him.
Mr Fischer urged the alliance to set an example in the fight against the spread of weapons of mass destruction by renouncing the first use of nuclear arms.
"NATO has never in the past imposed taboos on thinking. That was its strength and should remain so," he said.
He was given a courteous hearing, and several ministers said it was legitimate to revisit nuclear policy as part of a review of NATO strategy for the 21st century. But the nuclear powers - the US, France and Britain - rejected any attempt to tie their hands.