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Space

Washington File

12 June 2003

U.S. Official Says Russia Providing Critical Supplies to Space Station

(Bolstering nonproliferation a core issue on U.S.-Russia security
agenda) (1760)
A U.S. official says the Russian space agency has taken responsibility
for ensuring that the International Space Station has crew members and
critical provisions following the Columbia accident last February,
which grounded the U.S. space shuttle fleet.
Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European-Eurasian Affairs
Steven Pifer told a House subcommittee June 11 that space cooperation
between the United States and Russia remains one of the most visibly
successful elements of the U.S.-Russian bilateral relationship.
Pifer said that the Russian Aviation and Space Agency has readily
accepted its role as provider of the world's only physical link to the
space station, supplying it with water and other critical provisions.
When the space station's international partners were faced with the
possibility of "mothballing" the station, he added, Russia utilized a
previously planned Soyuz launch to ferry a fresh crew to the orbiting
laboratory -- a mission that had been slated to be carried out by the
space shuttle.
"This kind of cooperation, in the aftermath of the loss of the
Columbia, has strengthened further our space partnership," Pifer said.
With regard to other areas of cooperation, Pifer said U.S. officials
have engaged the Russian government "at the most senior levels" to
seek an end to sensitive cooperation between Russian entities and
state sponsors of terrorism, such as Iran.
"In the case of Iran, we have made clear our very strong concern that
Russian cooperation with Iran not facilitate Iran's acquisition of
nuclear weapons or long-range ballistic missiles," he said. Pifer said
that Russia has taken actions in response to specific cases related to
the proliferation of sensitive nuclear technology. He added that the
United States continues to monitor the issue of ballistic missile
technology assistance, and continues to be committed to Russia's
cessation of any assistance that could help Iran with the delivery of
weapons of mass destruction.
Following is the text of Pifer's prepared testimony to the
subcommittee:
(begin text)
Testimony by EUR Deputy Assistant Secretary Steven Pifer
To the House Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee
June 11, 2003 
Introduction 
Mr. Chairman and members of this Committee. It is an honor to appear
before you with my colleague from NASA. We at the State Department
consider it a privilege to work together with John Schumacher and his
colleagues at NASA to further one of America's loftiest goals -- the
mission of human space flight. At State, our contribution to this
mission is to facilitate relations with our international partners in
space exploration while safeguarding our broader national security
interests. Although we cooperate closely with many space agencies
around the world, any conversation about the U.S. space program would
be incomplete if it did not note the unique and historic partnership
we share with Russia in the field of human space flight. Space
cooperation between the United States and Russia remains one of the
most visibly successful elements of the U.S.-Russian bilateral
relationship.
U.S.-Russian Space Cooperation 
In recent months, this partnership has had to face tragic and
unforeseen challenges. In the wake of the loss of the Shuttle
Columbia, we have turned to our Russian colleagues for their
assistance in sustaining the operations of the International Space
Station (ISS). Considering our mutual experience in space exploration,
Russia has undertaken important additional efforts to maintain the
viability of the ISS. With the shuttle fleet grounded, the Russian
Aviation and Space Agency (Rosaviakosmos) readily accepted its role as
provider of the world's only physical link to the Station.
When the International Partners became concerned about the supply of
water and other critical provisions to the Station, Russia made every
effort to ensure that its Progress resupply vehicle would be available
to provide support for the Station. The unmanned Progress vehicles are
critical workhorses for delivering supplies to the Station. When the
International Partners were faced with the possibility of mothballing
the Station, Russia utilized a previously planned Soyuz launch to
ferry a fresh crew to the Station, a mission that had been slated to
be carried out by the Shuttle. This kind of cooperation, in the
aftermath of the loss of the Columbia, has strengthened further our
space partnership.
Underscoring the depth of this partnership, President Bush and
President Putin reaffirmed U.S.-Russian cooperation in space at their
June 1 meeting in St. Petersburg. In their joint statement, the
Presidents extolled the role our two countries have played in the
field of human space flight and confirmed their mutual aspiration to
ensure the continued assembly and viability of the International Space
Station as a world-class research facility. Looking to the future, the
Presidents agreed to explore ways to enhance our cooperation in the
field of space technology and techniques.
The Iran Nonproliferation Act of 2000 
As our space partnership proceeds and explores new areas of
cooperation, both the State Department and NASA have been rigorous in
enforcing the legislative requirements of the Iran Nonproliferation
Act (INA) of 2000. With the International Partners and separately with
Russian officials, the Administration has consistently made clear that
all activity with Russia must be conducted within the bounds of U.S.
law and our nonproliferation policy.
Bolstering nonproliferation remains a core issue on the U.S.-Russia
security agenda. The State Department and other U.S. officials in the
Administration have engaged the Russian government at the most senior
levels to seek an end to sensitive cooperation between Russian
entities and state sponsors of terrorism, such as Iran.
In the context of our diplomatic engagement, Russia has taken steps,
though not yet sufficient, to implement stronger export controls and
improve oversight at Russian facilities. In the case of Iran, we have
made clear our very strong concern that Russian cooperation with Iran
not facilitate Iran's acquisition of nuclear weapons or long-range
ballistic missiles. While we cannot go into great detail in an
unclassified forum, we can affirm that Russia has taken actions in
response to specific cases related to the proliferation of sensitive
nuclear technology in the course of our dialogue on nonproliferation.
We continue to monitor the issue of ballistic missile technology
assistance, and continue to be committed to Russia's cessation of any
assistance that could help Iran with the delivery of WMD.
Iran's nuclear program was a key issue addressed by Secretary Powell
with President Putin in their May meeting in Moscow and by President
Bush with President Putin in St. Petersburg on June 1. We have
stressed our concerns about the recent revelations of hidden Iranian
efforts to develop a nuclear fuel cycle capable of supporting a
nuclear weapons program, such as the centrifuge facility at Natanz.
Given what this new information says about Iran's nuclear ambitions,
we have again urged the Russians to reconsider their nuclear
cooperation with Iran and believe they are actively doing so.
President Putin made clear at the G-8 Summit in Evian that all Iranian
nuclear programs must be under IAEA safeguards. The IAEA Director
General is conducting an investigation of the Iranian nuclear program,
and his report will soon be taken up by the IAEA Board of Governors.
Until Iran has fully satisfied the IAEA's examination and fully
addressed the international community's concerns and questions,
including full implementation of the Additional Protocol, no country
should be engaging in nuclear cooperation with Iran. The
Administration will continue to press the Russian government not to
engage in nuclear cooperation with Iran until Iran signs an Additional
Protocol and verifiably abandons its pursuit of nuclear weapons.
Although it would be difficult to quantify the INA's impact on the
Russian government's export control policy, I assure you that the
pressure applied by the INA is palpable in any dialogue with Russia on
space. Mr. Yuriy Koptev, General Director of Rosaviakosmos, has been
particularly active in promoting reform throughout the Russian
government, and frequently notes the constraints imposed by the INA on
U.S.-Russian space cooperation. Other Russian officials also regularly
express their concern about the INA constraints. While the
Administration acknowledges Rosaviakosmos' sincere efforts to reform
and to maintain a good record on nonproliferation, we remain concerned
about Russia's broader nonproliferation record. We will continue our
high-level diplomatic dialogue with Rosaviakosmos and other relevant
Russian agencies to address this issue.
The U.S. Export Control Process 
Domestically, State's Directorate of Defense Trade Controls in the
Bureau of Political-Military Affairs ensures that our own export
control policy is sound and is implemented effectively, including in
our space cooperation with Russia. The Directorate is charged with
controlling the export and temporary import of defense articles and
defense services covered by the United States Munitions List (USML).
The Directorate's mission is to advance national strategic objectives
and U.S. foreign policy goals through timely enforcement of defense
trade controls and the formulation of defense trade policy. It carries
out its mission by enforcing the law and reviewing export license
applications for defense articles and services, ensuring that exports
approved are consistent with this mission and that companies comply
with defense trade laws and regulations. Through the licensing
process, relevant U.S. government agencies have the opportunity to
review individual export license applications and advise whether
proposed exports would be consistent with our national security and
foreign policy. The State Department makes licensing decisions
accordingly. This extensive procedure applies not only to exports to
Russia, but to all U.S. exports, and helps ensure that federal
agencies such as NASA and U.S. aerospace firms do not, even
inadvertently, contribute to the proliferation of sensitive technology
around the globe.
U.S.-Russia Relations 
A word about our overall bilateral relationship with Russia. Our two
countries are working hard to move past our recent disagreement over
Iraq. In St. Petersburg, Presidents Bush and Putin made clear their
determination to reinvigorate the partnership. Expanding cooperation
in the security dimension remains at the top of the agenda, and this
includes pressing the Russians to improve their performance on key
nonproliferation issues. Likewise, the Administration will persist in
its efforts to enhance U.S.-Russian cooperation in counterterrorism,
strategic stability, and missile defense. We also hope to broaden our
cooperation in space and expand the economic component of our
relations, particularly in the energy field. We intend to continue
working closely with our colleagues at NASA to implement the
Presidents' commitment to enhance our cooperation in space, while
remaining fully consistent with our security and nonproliferation
goals for the bilateral relationship.
Thank you.
(end text)
(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)



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