Commotion Flights Nuclear Weapons Volkel

The people in Noord Brabant are worried about flights with nuclear weapons to and from the air base in Volkel. The Provincial Environment Committee (POC) shares the worries of the citizens and is not sure if the province government has a full view on all the possible risks. It is unofficially known, by word of former Prime Ministers Lubbers and van Agt, that the air base in Volkel stores nuclear weapons. At the Brabant air base there are probably 10 to 20 nuclear bombs. They are scheduled for modernization in 2017. Provincial Executive Johan van den Houten (SP) was the first to bring this topic in the media in September. He wants to have soon a meeting with the minister of Defense about the worries of the local people of Volkel and surroundings as well as the worries of the provincial politicians. Now that POC has also, independently, spoken out about their questions, the discussion will go to another level. In a letter of minister Frans Timmermans, which he sent to the House on Thursday, it can be read that the government wants to strive to a nuclear weapons free world. However it also says that the nuclear bombs which are present in Volkel will have to stay there now.