For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
June 25, 2003
Joint Statement on Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction
Joint Statement by President George W. Bush, European Council President Konstandinos Simitis, and European Commission President Romano Prodi on the Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction
Proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and their delivery
systems constitutes a major threat to international peace and
security. The threat is compounded by the interest of terrorists in
acquiring WMD. This would undermine the foundations of international
order. We pledge to use all means available to avert WMD proliferation
and the calamities that would follow.
We will work together to strengthen the international system of
treaties and regimes against the spread of WMD. This implies the
development of new regimes, as appropriate, and reinforcement of
existing regimes. We will pursue the goal of universal membership of
relevant multilateral treaties and agreements.
We will seek to ensure strict implementation and compliance. We
are willing to work with all those who respect international
nonproliferation norms; we are committed to dealing effectively with
those who ignore them or cheat.
We will support, when necessary, non-routine inspections.
We
recognize that, if necessary, other measures in accordance with
international law may be needed to combat proliferation.
We will work together to deploy our combined political and
diplomatic influence most effectively in support of our
nonproliferation objectives.
We will work together to develop further a common assessment of
global proliferation threats.
We welcome the statement on nonproliferation by European Union
Heads of State and Government at Thessaloniki and the G8 Declaration of
the Non-Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction. We reaffirm our
joint commitment to relevant treaties and agreements, in particular the
Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. We will work together in all areas to
stop and reverse proliferation.
In particular:
We will explore ways to make the International Atomic Energy
Agency's (IAEA) Safeguards Agreements and Additional Protocols a
standard for nuclear cooperation and nonproliferation. We urge all
States with nuclear facilities or activities to ratify and implement
these Agreements and Protocols without delay. Furthermore, on an urgent
and exceptional basis, taking account of the increase in the Agency's
workload in this area, we will support an adequate increase in the IAEA
safeguards budget to ensure the credibility of the IAEA's verification
system.
We will strengthen both export controls on materials and
technologies related to WMD and their delivery systems as well as
their enforcement and implementation. We believe that national controls
should include criminal penalties for the illegal export, transshipment
or brokering of weapons of mass destruction, missile delivery systems,
and materials or technology for use in WMD or missile programs. We
will work together with like-minded partners to tighten export
controls, where necessary providing assistance to create and improve
effective, enforceable national export control systems. We agree to
introduce catch-all provisions, where appropriate. We will share
information so as to identify new patterns of procurement by State and
non-State actors. We will seek new methods to stop the proliferation
trade to and from countries and entities of proliferation concern.
We will work together in the framework of the Biological and Toxin
Weapons Convention (BTWC) to strengthen national control over
pathogenic micro-organisms and toxins and, in the framework of the
Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), to foster the elimination of all
chemical weapons.
We will strengthen identification, control and interdiction of
illegal shipments, including national criminal sanctions against those
who contribute to illicit procurement efforts.
We emphasize the importance of cooperative threat reduction
programs with third countries.
We will cooperate actively to address specific proliferation
challenges. In particular:
We condemn North Korea's nuclear weapons program and its failure
to comply with the IAEA safeguards agreement, which undermine the
nonproliferation regime. We call on North Korea to refrain from any
action that would further aggravate the problem. We strongly urge
North Korea to visibly, verifiably, and irreversibly dismantle that
program and to come into full compliance with international
nonproliferation obligations, as a fundamental step to facilitate a
comprehensive and peaceful solution.
We express our continuing serious concern at Iran's nuclear
program, in particular as regards the pursuit of a full nuclear
fuel cycle, as announced by President Khatami. We are troubled by the
information in the IAEA's report detailing Iran's failures to meet its
safeguards obligations, and we fully support ongoing investigation by
the IAEA to answer the unresolved questions and concerns identified in
that report. Iran must cooperate fully with the IAEA, remedy all
failures and answer all questions. It must also sign and implement an
Additional Protocol, without delay or conditions, as a significant
first step towards addressing those concerns.
We remain concerned at the pursuit of nuclear, biological and
chemical weapons, and missiles for their delivery by a number of other
States. We will continue to monitor these closely and to exchange
information, including with other concerned States.
Proliferation is a threat not only to our security, but also to the
wider international system. We call for a halt to proliferation
activities in a way that is demonstrable and verifiable.
Nonproliferation is a global challenge which requires a multifaceted
solution. We need to tackle it individually and collectively --
working together and with other partners, including through relevant
international institutions, in particular those of the United Nations
system.
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