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Skriven 2005-06-20 23:50:58 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (050620) for Mon, 2005 Jun 20
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Joint Statement by the European Union and United States on the Joint
Program of Work on the Nonproliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction
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For Immediate Release
June 20, 2005

Joint Statement by the European Union and United States on the Joint
Program of Work on the Nonproliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction



Proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and their delivery
systems continue to be a preeminent threat to international peace and
security. This global challenge needs to be tackled individually and
collectively, and requires an effective global response. We are fully
committed to support in that respect the important role of the United
Nations Security Council and other key UN institutions.

The United States and the European Union are steadfast partners in the
fight against the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and will
undertake several new initiatives to strengthen our cooperation and
coordination in this important arena, even as we enhance our ongoing
efforts.

Building Global Support for Nonproliferation: The European Union and the
United States will enhance information sharing, discuss assessments of
proliferation risks, and work together to broaden global support for and
participation in nonproliferation endeavors. We will increase transparency
about our nonproliferation dialogues with other countries to ensure, to the
extent possible consistency in our nonproliferation messages.

We reaffirm our willingness to work together to implement and strengthen
key arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation treaties, agreements
and commitments that ban the proliferation of WMD and their delivery
systems. In particular we underline the importance of the Treaty on the
Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), the Biological and Toxin
Weapons Convention and the Chemical Weapons Convention. We will increase
our effort to promote, individually or, where appropriate, jointly, the
universalisation of these Treaties and Conventions and the adherence to the
Hague Code of Conduct against the proliferation of ballistic missiles.

Reinforcing the NPT: The EU and the US reaffirm that the NPT is central to
preventing the spread of nuclear weapons. The EU and the US stress the
urgency to maintain the authority and the integrity of the Treaty. To that
end, the EU and the U.S. recommit to fulfill our obligations under the
Treaty while working together in order to strengthen it. We will evaluate
lessons learned from the 2005 Review Conference and continue to stress the
importance of compliance with and universal adherence to the NPT.

Recognizing the Importance of the Biological Threat: The EU and the US will
work together in advance of the upcoming BTWC- Review Conference in 2006,
in order to strengthen the Biological Weapons and Toxin Weapons Convention.

Promoting Full Implementation of UNSCR 1540: We will coordinate efforts to
assist and enhance the work being done by the UNSCR 1540 Committee, and
compliance with the resolution. We will work together to respond, where
possible, to assistance requests from States seeking to implement the
requirements set by the UNSC Resolution 1540 and in particular, to put in
place national legal regulatory, and enforcement measures against
proliferation.

Establishing a Dialogue on Compliance and Verification: The European Union
and the United States renew their call on all States to comply with their
arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation agreements and commitments.
We will seek to ensure, through regular exchanges, strict implementation of
compliance with these agreements and commitments. We will continue to
support the multilateral institutions charged with verifying activities
under relevant treaties and agreements. We will ask our experts to discuss
issues of compliance and verification in order to identify areas of
possible cooperation and joint undertaking.

Strengthening the IAEA: The U.S. and the EU welcome the steps taken earlier
this month by the Board of Governors of the IAEA that created a new
Committee on Safeguards and Verification, which will enhance the IAEA's
effectiveness and strengthen its ability to ensure that nations comply with
their NPT safeguards obligations. We will work together to ensure all
States conclude a comprehensive safeguards agreement and an Additional
Protocol with the IAEA. We agree that the Additional Protocol should become
a standard for nuclear cooperation and non-proliferation.

Advancing the Proliferation Security Initiative: As we enhance our own
capabilities, laws and regulations to improve our readiness for
interdiction actions, we pledge to strengthen the Proliferation Security
Initiative and encourage PSI countries to support enhanced cooperation
against proliferation networks, including tracking and halting financial
transactions related to proliferation.

Global Partnership: The U.S. and the EU reaffirm our commitment to the
Global Partnership Initiative Against the Spread of Weapons and Materials
of Mass Destruction. We will assess ongoing and emerging threats and
coordinate our nonproliferation cooperation, including with other
participating states, to focus resources on priority concerns and to make
the most effective use of our resources.

Enhancing Nuclear Security: We intend to expand and deepen cooperation to
enhance the security of nuclear and radiological materials. We welcome the
establishment of the Global Threat Reduction Initiative (GTRI) and will
cooperate closely to implement this important new initiative, including by
exploring opportunities under the GTRI to reduce the threat posed by
radiological dispersal devices and by identifying specific radiological
threat reduction projects that could be implemented.

Ensuring Radioactive Source Security: We remain concerned by the risks
posed by the potential use of radioactive sources for terrorist purposes.
We will work towards having effective controls applied by the end of 2005
in accordance with the IAEA Guidance on the Import and Export of
Radioactive Sources. We will support IAEA efforts to assist countries that
need such assistance to establish effective and sustainable controls.

Rationalizing Multilateral Disarmament Work: We will continue to cooperate
in order to overcome the stalemate in the Conference on Disarmament and
pursue reforming of the UN General Assembly's First Committee on
disarmament and international security. These initiatives are part of our
broader efforts to streamline and make the multilateral disarmament, arms
control and non-proliferation machinery more responsive.

The U.S. and the EU take special note of the Conference to Consider and
Adopt Amendments to the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear
Material (CPPNM) that will take place at the IAEA, July 4-8 2005, and we
urge all States Parties to the CPPNM to attend and fully support adoption
of an amended Convention.

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