27 August 2002
Bolton Cites Need to Respond to Biological Weapons Threat
(Under Secretary of State August 27 speech in Tokyo) (3250)
The United States and its allies must remain "creative, vigilant and
forward-looking" in dealing with the threat posed by biological
weapons, Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International
Security John Bolton said during a briefing at the Tokyo American
Center August 27.
Bolton acknowledged to the audience of academics, think tank members
and journalists that the United States had rejected the draft
Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) Protocol -- the international
treaty that prohibits the development, production, stockpiling and
acquisition of biological weapons.
The Under Secretary explained that the United States had done so
because the BWC Protocol "would have been singularly ineffective."
"The United States rejected the draft protocol for three reasons:
first, it was based on a traditional arms control approach that will
not work on biological weapons; second, it would have compromised
national security and confidential business information; and third, it
would have been used by proliferators to undermine other effective
international export control regimes," he said.
"We carefully studied the draft Protocol and found it to be a least
common denominator compromise that, in our view, was worse than
nothing," Bolton said.
"Several nations came to the United States privately and thanked us
for rejecting the Protocol, which in their view was seriously flawed
but for them was untouchable for political reasons," he added.
According to Bolton, the United States has promoted other ways to
combat the threat of biological weapons "through means that would be
far more effective than the draft Protocol."
He cited two new U.S. laws -- the USA Patriot Act and the Public
Health Security and Bio-terrorist Preparedness and Response Act -- as
measures directed at improving the U.S. ability to combat the threat.
Bolton explained that the USA Patriot Act provides national security
and federal law enforcement officials with the necessary tools and
resources to better counter terrorist activities, while the Public
Health Security and Bio-terrorist Preparedness and Response Act
strengthens and enhances U.S. national bio-defense activities.
In addition, Bolton said, the United States has "placed great emphasis
on working multilaterally and with likeminded groups" to address the
biological weapons threat.
As evidence, Bolton noted that the United States pledged $10 billion
($10,000 million) toward the G-8 Global Partnership Against the Spread
of Weapons and Materials of Mass Destruction.
He also cited initiatives by the World Health Organization, NATO's
Defense Group on Proliferation, and the Australia Group.
Bolton concluded his speech by calling upon Japan to join the United
States "in promoting an aggressive and effective" anti-biological
weapons campaign that responds to the biological-weapons threat
"without crippling other national and multilateral efforts."
Following is a transcript of Bolton's speech:
(begin transcript)
U.S. EMBASSY TOKYO
Under Secretary John R. Bolton
The U.S. Position on the Biological Weapons Convention:
Combating the BW Threat
August 27, 2002
Tokyo American Center
Tokyo, Japan
I am honored to be here at the Tokyo American Center in Japan and
pleased to be able to speak to you about the U.S. position regarding
the Biological Weapons Convention, the international treaty that
prohibits the development, production, stockpiling and acquisition of
biological weapons. Over three decades ago, the United States
foreswore biological weapons and became a driving force in negotiating
the BWC. The United States strongly supports the global norm
established by the BWC and places high priority on combating the
threat posed by biological weapons. We continue to be a strong
supporter of this treaty.
The threat from biological weapons is real, growing, and extremely
dangerous, and is evolving rapidly with the pace of technology. Given
the deadly potential of such weapons of mass destruction, as President
Bush has said, "there is no margin for error, and no chance to learn
from our mistakes."
The United States believes that over a dozen countries are pursuing
biological weapons. These BW programs are at various stages of
development. Some pose a considerable international security threat.
Unrepentant rogues, such as Saddam Hussein, continue to seek illegal
weapons to sow massive destruction on civilian targets with complete
disregard to the BWC and other international agreements. Iran, Libya,
Syria, and North Korea are also pursuing these illegitimate and
inhumane weapons. There are still other states with covert BW programs
that we have not named in Biological Weapons Convention fora. The
United States has spoken to several of these states privately over the
last year. We have also noted that Cuba has at least a limited,
offensive biological warfare research-and-development effort.
Terrorist groups are actively seeking the knowledge, equipment, and
material necessary for biological weapons.
In 1995, Japan experienced the most deadly terrorist attack in its
modern history from the Aum Shinrikyo cult, which released sarin nerve
gas into a rush-hour subway train in Tokyo, killing 12 and sickening
thousands of others. In addition to its chemical warfare capabilities,
the cult was later implicated in several smaller-scale attacks with
biological agents, including anthrax and botulism, which it launched
prior to the attack on the subway.
And last year, soon after the September 11 terrorist attacks, the
United States was further terrorized by anthrax attacks that were sent
using plain envelopes and 34-cent stamps. 23 people contracted
anthrax, and 5 people lost their lives.
Both events showed the world how much serious damage could be done in
both physical and psychological terms by even a single person or small
group with limited means but with access to biological or chemical
weapons. All that was required to inflict harm and widespread panic in
both cases was the relevant knowledge, the right materials, and the
opportunity.
In the aftermath of these events and of the attacks of September 11,
the United States is more determined than ever to put an end to
terrorism and to stop the spread of weapons of mass destruction. We
are grateful for Japan's unwavering support and cooperation in this
effort. As partners in the war against terrorism, we must work
together to ensure that those who seek to use disease as a weapon are
never allowed access to the materials or technology that will assist
them in their aims.
Some have questioned the U.S. commitment to combat the biological
weapons threat due to our rejection of the draft BWC Protocol. Put
simply, the draft Protocol would have been singularly ineffective. The
United States rejected the draft protocol for three reasons: first, it
was based on a traditional arms control approach that will not work on
biological weapons; second, it would have compromised national
security and confidential business information; and third, it would
have been used by proliferators to undermine other effective
international export control regimes.
Traditional arms control measures that have worked so well for many
other types of weapons, including nuclear weapons, are not workable
for biological weapons. Unlike chemical or nuclear weapons, the
components of biological warfare are found in nature, in the soil, in
the air and even inside human beings. The presence of these organisms
does not necessarily connote a sinister motive. They are used for many
peaceful purposes such as routine studies against disease, the
creation of vaccines, and the study of defensive measures against a
biological attack. Components of biological weapons are, by nature,
dual use. Operators of clandestine offensive BW programs can claim any
materials are for peaceful purposes or easily clean up the evidence by
using no more sophisticated means than household bleach. Detecting
violations is nearly impossible; proving a violation is impossible.
Traditional arms control measures are based on detecting violations
and then taking action -- military or diplomatic -- to restore
compliance. Traditional arms control measures are not effective
against biology. Using them, we could prove neither non-compliance nor
compliance.
Traditional arms control measures, in fact, applied to biological
activities yield no benefit and actually do great harm. Declarations
and investigations called for under the draft Protocol at industrial
plants, scientific labs, universities, and defense facilities would
have revealed trade secrets and sensitive bio-defense information. The
United States invests over a billion dollars annually on bio-defense.
The U.S. pharmaceutical and biotech industry leads the world; each
year, U.S. industry produces more than 50% of the new medicines
created. It costs an average of $802 million to bring a new product to
market and takes between 12-15 years to do so. Such disclosures,
intentionally or inadvertently, also could result in putting the men
and women in uniform at increased risk to biological weapons attacks.
Protective devices and treatments could be compromised.
The draft Protocol would also have put in jeopardy effective export
control regimes. Countries such as Iran, Iraq, and Cuba have fought
the hardest for free access to the technology, knowledge, and
equipment necessary to pursue biological weapons. Their argument was
simple: as States Parties to the BWC they should be allowed free trade
in all biological materials. These countries sought to dismantle
effective export control regimes such as the Australia Group. They
argued that export controls should not be applied to BWC States
Parties. The problem is that some BWC States Parties are pursuing
biological warfare programs and it is no coincidence that these
countries are also the ones pressing for access to sensitive
technology. This "Trojan Horse" approach was not combated effectively
by the draft Protocol. The result was a so-called "Cooperation
Committee" whose job would have been to promote scientific and
technological exchanges. The Cooperation Committee was touted as a way
to appease Iran and Cuba. We viewed it as dangerous, harmful, and
unnecessary. Protecting existing export control regimes is another
important reason for the United States to reject the draft Protocol.
A lot of pressure was put on the United States to continue to support
the draft Protocol simply because it was the result of seven years of
hard negotiations. Several states urged our support by telling us that
the draft Protocol was "better than nothing." Well, this was simply
not sufficient to win U.S. support. We carefully studied the draft
Protocol and found it to be a least common denominator compromise
that, in our view, was worse than nothing.
Let me tell you something else about the draft Protocol. Several
nations came to the United States privately and thanked us for
rejecting the Protocol, which in their view was seriously flawed but
for them was untouchable for political reasons. I know the United
States did the right thing in rejecting the draft Protocol. The time
for "better than nothing" proposals is over. It is time for us to work
together to address the BW threat. We will not be protected by a
"Maginot treaty" approach to the BW threat. I know from my
consultations with BWC parties that many states agree with us.
Over the last year, however, there has been confusion about America's
policy toward the Biological Weapons Convention. Today, I want to
discuss this policy.
The world must end its silent acquiescence to illicit biological
weapons programs. The United States seeks to put maximum political
pressure on proliferators by naming state parties that are violators
of the BWC. We believe it is critical to put on notice such states
that choose to ignore the norms of civilized society and pursue
biological weapons. These states must realize that their efforts to
develop these terrible weapons will not go unnoticed. Our President
has set a standard all should meet: tell the truth; speak out; be
clear. Advice worth following, especially when it comes to biological
weapons.
Now concerning the Ad Hoc Group, the negotiating body for the BWC
Protocol, the raison d'etre of the Ad Hoc Group has been to see that a
draft Protocol based on traditional arms control measures comes into
force. Many nations want to use the Ad Hoc Group to revive the draft
Protocol at a later date or negotiate a new agreement based on
traditional measures. Having determined that the traditional measures
are not effective on biology and that those measures would put
national security information and confidential business information at
risk, the United States said there was no longer a need for the Ad Hoc
Group. Our objections to the Protocol and those traditional measures
on which it is based are real. We need to find a way to move beyond
this debate and focus on what counts: a strengthened commitment to
combat the biological weapons threat.
My speech up to this point may have led some to question what can be
done to combat that threat. Well, I have good news. The United States
last fall proposed several important measures to combat the BW threat,
through means that would be far more effective than the draft
Protocol. In the past year great progress has been made to combat the
threat posed by biological weapons. National, bilateral, and
multilateral efforts have made it more difficult for those pursuing
biological weapons to obtain the necessary ingredients and made it
easier to detect and counter any attack.
Since the anthrax attacks last year, the United States has enacted two
new laws to improve our ability to combat the threat.
-- The USA Patriot Act, signed on October 2001, provides national
security and federal law enforcement officials with the necessary
tools and resources to better counter terrorist activities.
-- In June 2002, the Public Health Security and Bio-terrorist
Preparedness and Response Act was adopted, which strengthens and
enhances national bio-defense activities.
The United States has placed great emphasis on working multilaterally
and with likeminded groups to combat the BW threat.
-- At the G-8 Summit in June, members announced the "G-8 Global
Partnership Against the Spread of Weapons and Materials of Mass
Destruction." The United States pledged $10 billion toward this effort
and urged other G-8 states to donate $10 billion over 10 years, with
the aim of enhancing projects underway in the former Soviet Union,
including projects dedicated toward reducing BW proliferation.
-- In May 2002, World Health Organization members agreed to strengthen
health surveillance systems to detect any possible BW attack and
improve international responses to stop any resultant outbreak.
-- Also in May 2002, NATO's Defense Group on Proliferation set forth a
number of initiatives to improve NATO's ability to combat and counter
any biological weapons attack, including stockpiling medicines and
protective equipment.
-- In June 2002, Australia Group members adopted tougher export
measures to control more effectively items that could be used to
produce biological weapons, including adding controls on the transfer
of information and knowledge that could aid BW proliferation.
The United States is committed to combating the BW threat. We will do
so where we can and when we can. Recent efforts illustrate the U.S.
commitment to combat the threat. Our other initiatives are underway in
other effective forums. In each of the examples above, Japan has
played a key role and deserves much of the credit for the work that
has been done to combat the BW threat.
In conclusion, I would like to point out that the approaches of Japan
and the United States to combating the threat posed by biological
weapons are actually quite similar, and our goal of stopping the
spread of weapons of mass destruction is the same. The Aum Shinrikyo
sarin attack in Japan and the anthrax attacks in the United States
have made both of our nations painfully aware that biological and
chemical weapons can be used against us at any time. And the tragic
events of September 11 showed us that terrorist groups will use any
means at their disposal to strike against innocent targets. We must
not allow biological weapons to become part of their arsenal.
Given the unique challenges involved in regulating biological agents
and detecting their misuse, we must remain creative, vigilant and
forward-looking in combating the BW threat. And we will remain
steadfast in rejecting proposals that do not address the BW problem in
a realistic manner but are simply the product of bureaucratic
compromise. As the Japanese proverb goes, "Vision without action is a
daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare."
I ask Japan to join the United States in promoting an aggressive and
effective anti-BW campaign that combats the BW threat without
crippling other national and multilateral efforts. Stemming the
proliferation of biological weapons cannot be accomplished by one
country alone. "A single arrow is easily broken, a bundle of ten is
not," as they say here in Japan. By working together, and by
exchanging ideas and proposals that will help us meet this critical
security challenge, I am confident we can succeed in advancing the
worldwide effort to reduce and ultimately eliminate the biological
weapons threat. Thank you very much.
(end transcript)
(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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