03 June 2003
Five Countries Join Global Partnership Against WMD
(G-8 Action plan adopted to expand project activities) (450)
Following is a White House fact sheet released June 2 on the decisions
of Norway, Poland, Switzerland, Finland, and Sweden to join the Global
Partnership Against the Spread of Weapons and Materials of Mass
Destruction.
(begin fact sheet)
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
(Evian, France)
June 2, 2003
FACT SHEET
Broadening the Partnership to Stop the Spread of Weapons of Mass
Destruction
Presidential Action
-- Today, President Bush welcomed the decisions of Norway, Poland,
Switzerland, Finland, and Sweden to join the Global Partnership
Against the Spread of Weapons and Materials of Mass Destruction.
-- The President also welcomed the progress made in significant Global
Partnership projects to reduce and prevent the proliferation of
weapons and materials of mass destruction, and weapons delivery
systems.
Progress Since Kananaskis: The Global Partnership, which focuses on
nonproliferation, disarmament, counterterrorism, and nuclear safety
projects in the former Soviet states, was launched at last year's G-8
[Group of Eight] Summit in Kananaskis [Canada].
It has since:
-- Obtained pledges for much of its $20 billion goal.
Implemented frameworks and new projects, including:
-- The United States began construction in March of the chemical
weapons destruction facility at Shchuch'ye, which will destroy Russian
nerve-agent-filled weapons.
-- France plans to begin three projects in 2003 to deal with nuclear
fuel and solid waste from dismantled nuclear submarines.
-- Germany expects to begin in June projects to increase physical
protection at 17 sites storing fissile material.
-- Japan and Russia reached agreement this year on a project for
dismantlement of general purpose nuclear submarines in the Far East.
-- The United Kingdom began this year to construct the transformer
station for the Shchuch'ye facility.
-- Broadened participation in the Global Partnership to non-G-8
countries to include Norway, Poland, Switzerland, Finland, and Sweden.
We look forward to the participation of other countries.
Building on that progress, the G-8 Leaders adopted an action plan to
expand project activities, to reach the Kananaskis financial
commitment, to resolve remaining implementation challenges, and to
broaden participation in the Global Partnership.
U.S. Leadership: The United States has been a driving force behind the
Global Partnership and looks forward to continuing this role during
its G-8 Presidency.
This initiative builds on more than a decade of cooperation between
the United States and former Soviet states to reduce weapons and
materials of mass destruction stockpiles and to prevent proliferation.
From FY 1992 through FY 2003, the United States allocated over $8
billion for these purposes, and President Bush has requested another
$1 billion for FY 2004, and has pledged a total of $10 billion over
the ten-year period through 2013.
(end fact sheet)
(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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