Sweden defies US, NATO threats on UN nuclear ban treaty

By Atila Altuntas

STOCKHOLM (AA) - Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom said Tuesday Stokholm may sign a UN deal to ban nuclear weapons despite threats from the U.S. and NATO.

Wallstrom said on state television: “We will make an independent assessment and then make a decision. We do not care about threats. It is not acceptable to make such statements. It's counterproductive, this conversation needs to be done calmly and sensibly."

The Nuclear Weapon Ban Treaty was passed last July with 122 UN countries endorsing it.

The warning came from Kay Bailey Hutchison, the U.S. permanent representative to NATO, who said that if Sweden signed the deal it would cause problems in relations with NATO.

U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis sent a letter to his Swedish counterpart Peter Hultqvist saying that NATO would not renew its partnership with Sweden's defense alliance if the agreement is signed, according to a report in Swedish Aftonbladet news agency.