DATE=5/23/2000
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
TITLE=BUSH-NUCLEAR (L-ONLY)
NUMBER=2-262702
BYLINE=DAVID SWAN
DATELINE=WASHINGTON
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: Republican presidential candidate George W-
Bush is pledging to cut back the country's nuclear
arsenal and try to convince Russia to do the same. If
elected, the Texas governor would also build a
national missile defense network - which, he says, the
Clinton administration should not prevent. V-O-A's
David Swan has details.
TEXT: Mr. Bush has accused the White House of being
mired in Cold War thinking. In a Washington speech
(Tuesday), he said his administration would take a
fresh look at national security. The governor says he
would try to cut the American nuclear stockpile beyond
the limits of the START-TWO treaty with Russia.
That agreement would leave each side with about three-
thousand warheads. Though not giving a specific
number, Mr. Bush says further reductions can be made
without jeopardizing the country's safety.
/// Bush act ///
We should not keep weapons that our military
planners do not need. These unneeded weapons
are the expensive relics of dead conflicts and
they do nothing to make us more secure. In
addition, the United States should remove as
many weapons as possible from high-alert, hair-
trigger status.
/// end act ///
At the same time, Mr. Bush repeated his commitment to
a new missile defense system to guard against what he
calls rogue-state attack. Russia strongly opposes the
idea, on the grounds it would effectively destroy the
longstanding Anti-Ballistic-Missile treaty. However,
Mr. Bush urged President Clinton not to strike any
deal with Moscow that might tie his hands.
/// Bush act ///
What I'm really suggesting is that he not
hamstring the ability of the next president to
fully develop an anti-ballistic missile system
to protect ourselves and our allies.
/// end act ///
The Clinton administration is currently weighing a
proposal for a limited missile defense. U-S officials
have also begun preliminary talks with Russia on new
offensive arms cuts that go beyond the reductions
outlined in the START-Two treaty.
/// REST OPT ///
Appearing with Mr. Bush were several well-known
foreign policy figures of the past, ranging from
former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger to retired
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Colin Powell. Mr. Powell,
who served under the governor's father, has been
widely mentioned as a possible secretary of state in a
new Bush administration. He says the governor's
approach is correct.
/// Powell act ///
We are not against any state, but we have an
obligation to protect our people, to protect our
friends and allies with strong offensive systems
and by plumbing the full depths of the defensive
possibilities that are out there. So I am
pleased to align myself with this statement.
/// end act ///
The statement -- and the high-profile endorsements it
received -- seem designed to shore up Mr. Bush's
credentials on foreign affairs, where, as a state
governor, he has had little experience. His call for
nuclear arms reductions could also deflect Democratic
attempts to portray him as a hardline conservative.
(Signed)
NEB/DS/KBK
23-May-2000 12:46 PM EDT (23-May-2000 1646 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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