13 May 2002
Senator Lugar Welcomes New U.S.-Russia Arms Reduction Pact
(Says treaty will mark "step toward a safer world") (820)
Winning the war on terrorism must be defined not only in terms of
destroying terrorist cells but also undertaking the ambitious goal "of
comprehensively preventing the proliferation of weapons of mass
destruction," Senator Richard G. Lugar (Republican-Indiana) said May
13 in a statement welcoming the news of a new U.S.-Russia arms control
agreement.
"President Bush's announcement that a nuclear reduction treaty with
Russia will be forthcoming at the summit later this month marks a step
toward a safer world," Lugar said, adding that he hopes the Senate
will move quickly to the ratification debate.
Following is the text of his statement:
(begin text)
Senator Richard G. Lugar
United States Senator for Indiana (Republican)
LUGAR STATEMENT ON BUSH'S NUCLEAR TREATY ANNOUNCEMENT
U.S. Sen. Dick Lugar, who has led the Senate debate on ratification of
past arms control treaties, made the following statement on President
Bush's announcement of a new treaty with Russia.
"I believe the number one national security threat facing the United
States today is the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and
their means of delivery. The problem we face today is not just
terrorism. It is the nexus between terrorists and weapons of mass
destruction. There is little doubt that Osama bin Laden and Al-Qaeda
would have used weapons of mass destruction on September 11 if they
had possessed them. It is equally clear that they made an effort to
obtain them. Victory in this war must be defined not only in terms of
destroying terrorist cells in this or that country. We must also
undertake the ambitious goal of comprehensively preventing the
proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
"President Bush's announcement that a nuclear reduction treaty with
Russia will be forthcoming at the summit later this month marks a step
toward a safer world. It fulfills one of the President's campaign
pledges. I would hope that the Senate could move quickly to the
ratification debate.
"To accomplish the reductions there will need to be continued
cooperation under the Nunn-Lugar program which has already deactivated
5,896 nuclear warheads in the former Soviet Union.
"In 1991, I introduced the Nunn-Lugar/Cooperative Threat Reduction
legislation with former Senator Sam Nunn of Georgia. The program was
designed to assist the states of the former Soviet Union in
dismantling weapons of mass destruction and establishing verifiable
safeguards against their proliferation. For more than ten years
Nunn-Lugar has been our country's principal response to the
disintegration of the custodial system guarding the Soviet weapons
legacy.
"Nunn-Lugar has also been used to upgrade the security surrounding
dangerous substances and to provide civilian employment to tens of
thousands of Russian weapons scientists. Unfortunately, complete
Russian accountability and transparency in the chemical and biological
arena have been lacking. This has resulted in the Administration's
request for a waiver for a certification requirement that Russia is
committed to arms control goals. This has led to a freeze on new
dismantlement and non-proliferation projects in Russia. This is a
dangerous situation, and I am hopeful that Congress will quickly
respond by granting this waiver on the Supplemental Appropriations
bill. But we must also be clear with Russia that full transparency and
accountability must be forthcoming with respect to former Soviet
stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction.
"Last month, I introduced legislation to permit and facilitate the
Secretary of Defense's use of Nunn-Lugar expertise and resources when
non-proliferation threats around the world are identified. Beyond the
former Soviet Union, Nunn-Lugar-style programs aimed at weapons
dismantlement and counter-proliferation do not exist. The ability to
apply the Nunn-Lugar model to states outside the former Soviet Union
would provide the United States with another tool to confront the
threats associated with weapons of mass destruction. My bill is
designed to empower the Administration to respond to both emergency
proliferation risks and less-urgent cooperative opportunities to
further non-proliferation goals.
"The precise replication of the Nunn-Lugar program will not be
possible everywhere. Clearly, many states will continue to avoid
accountability. When nations resist, other options must be explored.
When governments continue to contribute to the WMD threat facing the
United States, we must be prepared to apply diplomatic and economic
power, as well as military force.
"The experience of Nunn-Lugar in Russia has demonstrated that the
threat of weapons of mass destruction can lead to extraordinary
outcomes based on mutual interest. No one would have predicted in the
1980s that American contractors and DOD officials would be on the
ground in Russia destroying thousands of strategic systems. If we are
to protect ourselves during this incredibly dangerous period, we must
create new non-proliferation partners and aggressively pursue any
non-proliferation opportunities that appear. I believe increasing the
Administration's flexibility in dealing with these threats is the
first step down that road."
(end text)
(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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