US presidential hopeful Barack Obama vows to rid the world of nuclear weapons

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In promising to lead the world into a nuclear arms-free era, Obama hopes to catch up in the polls with opponent Hilary Clinton


Barack Obama jumpstarted his campaign for the U.S. presidency last night by vowing to lead a 'new era of American diplomacy' to rid the world of nuclear weapons.

He said a global ban on all weapons of mass destruction will be a top priority if he becomes America's first black president.
"More nuclear weapons and more nuclear-armed nations mean more danger to us all,' he said. 'Here's what I'll say as president: America seeks a world in which there are no nuclear weapons.
"We need to change our policy and our posture which is focused on deterring the Soviet Union - a country that doesn't exist."
The Chicago senator insisted the U.S. should lead by example by slashing its stockpiles to lower the threat of nuclear terrorism.
He was speaking a day after the Bush administration announced that over the past year it had tripled the rate at which it is dismantling atomic warheads, putting the U.S. on course to halve its nuclear arsenal by 2012.
Mr Obama said one of his first moves as president would be to negotiate with Russia to remove Cold Warera ballistic missiles from hair-trigger alert.
Although he stopped short of calling for unilateral disarmament, he said the ultimate goal would be to bring the world together to banish the nuclear threat.
"It's time to stop giving countries like Iran and North Korea an excuse. It's time for America to lead," he added.
The bold pledge came as part of a major speech in Chicago intended to boost Mr Obama's bid to win the Democratic nomination to fight next year's presidential election.
He claimed he will immediately begin withdrawing U.S. forces from Iraq if he becomes president and will have all combat troops home within 16 months.
Mr Obama also said he would close down the Guantanamo Bay prison camp in Cuba where the U.S. has been holding terror suspects without trial. By laying out his hopes for the future, Mr Obama hoped to gain ground on Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton, who leads him in the polls by 45 per cent to 24 per cent.

US presidential hopeful Barack Obama vows to rid the world of nuclear weapons | the Daily Mail