-Caveat Lector-
Following is a fact sheet released today by the White House (14
July 1999)
Nonproliferation: The Clinton Administration Record
President Clinton has led the effort to reduce the threat to
Americans from weapons of mass destruction. Over the past six
years, the Administration has made unprecedented progress in
curbing the proliferation of nuclear, chemical and biological
weapons and the missiles that deliver them, in reducing the
dangerous legacy of Cold War weapons' stockpiles and in promoting
responsible conventional arms transfer policies.
Nuclear Weapons
Preventing Nuclear Proliferation in the Former Soviet Union: The
U.S. worked with Ukraine, Belarus and Kazakhstan to remove all
nuclear weapons from their soil and to secure their agreement to
forswear such weapons forever.
Ending Nuclear Testing: The U.S. led the international effort to
conclude the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) and was the
first world leader to sign this historic agreement banning all
nuclear explosions.
Freezing North Korea's Nuclear Program: Under the 1994 U.S.-DPRK
Agreed Framework, North Korea's plutonium production has been
frozen under international monitoring and its production
facilities are to be dismantled.
Extending the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty: U.S. diplomacy
played a critical role in 1995 in securing the unconditional and
indefinite extension by consensus of the Nuclear Nonproliferation
Treaty -- the cornerstone of our efforts to control nuclear
proliferation. Under U.S. leadership, 29 new countries, including
Algeria, Argentina, Belarus, Brazil, Chile, Kazakhstan, and
Ukraine, have joined the NPT.
Controlling Nuclear Materials: The U.S. has promoted broader
international participation in both the Zangger Committee and the
Nuclear Suppliers Group, the two informal groups which control
equipment and materials that can be used to make nuclear weapons.
Since 1993, Argentina, Bulgaria, China, the Czech Republic,
Portugal, the Republic of Korea, the Slovak Republic, South
Africa and Spain have joined the Zangger Committee. During the
same period, the membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group has
expanded to include Argentina, Brazil, the Czech Republic,
Latvia, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea, the Slovak Republic
and Ukraine.
Strengthening Security of Nuclear Materials: The U.S. is engaged
in unprecedented programs at 100 sites in Russia, Kazakhstan,
Belarus, Ukraine and other countries to strengthen the security
and accounting of nuclear materials and protect them from theft
or diversion.
Safeguarding Weapon-Grade Uranium: The U.S. purchased 500 metric
tons of weapon-grade, highly-enriched uranium from Russia for
dilution to safer, low-enriched uranium to be used in commercial
power reactors. In Operation Sapphire, the U.S. airlifted nearly
600 kilograms of highly enriched uranium from Kazakhstan for safe
disposition in the United States.
Securing Weapon-Free Zones: The U.S. signed the relevant
Protocols to both the South Pacific and African Nuclear Weapon
Free Zone Treaties in the spring of 1996.
Engaging China: Through U.S. efforts, China joined the Zangger
Committee of nuclear suppliers, pledged to cease all assistance
to unsafeguarded nuclear facilities and cut off nuclear
cooperation with Iran.
Chemical and Biological Weapons
Banning Chemical Weapons: The U.S. was an original party to the
Chemical Weapons Convention when it entered into force in 1997
and has led international efforts to secure universal adherence
to and compliance with this ban on poison gas. Today, 126
countries are members of the CWC.
Strengthening the Biological Weapons Convention: The U.S. has
been at the forefront of international efforts to conclude a
legally binding protocol to strengthen compliance with the 1972
treaty outlawing biological weapons.
Eliminating Former CBW Facilities: Under the Cooperative Threat
Reduction Program, the U.S. is dismantling former Soviet chemical
weapons production facilities in Russia and Uzbekistan and a
former Soviet biological weapons production facility in
Kazakhstan.
Controlling Chemical and Biological Weapon-Related Material: The
U.S. successfully promoted the membership of Argentina, Hungary,
the Czech Republic, Iceland, Slovakia, Romania, Poland and South
Korea in the Australia Group, which controls chemical and
biological weapon-related material.
Assisting Chemical Weapons Destruction in Russia: Under the
Cooperative Threat Reduction Program, the U.S. is designing and
constructing Russia's first chemical weapons destruction
facility.
Conventional Weapons and Missiles
Controlling Munitions and Dual-Use Technologies: The U.S. led
international efforts to create the 33 member Wassenar Agreement,
which seeks to promote the responsible transfers of arms and
related technology and to increase transparency of such exports.
Through U.S. leadership in Wassenaar, we have been able to stop
the flow of arms and sensitive technologies to Iran,