Where Industry and Security Intersect
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Good morning. On behalf of the Commerce Department's Bureau of Export Administration, it is my pleasure to welcome all of you - both veterans and first-time participants - to the Seventh Annual Symposium for Export Control Officials. I thank you for your willingness to travel great distances, under difficult circumstances, to be here. Your participation demonstrates your commitment and that of your governments to the subject of export controls. This is an area of heightened importance in light of the terrorist attacks of September 11.
The United States strongly believes in the importance of multilateral meetings - such as this Symposium - to facilitate a direct exchange of ideas and information among countries that are engaged in developing and strengthening effective export control systems. The events of September 11 only reinforce the importance of our joint endeavors. Although the terrorist incidents occurred on U.S. soil, they claimed the lives of citizens from over 65 nations. And many of your countries have been victims of terrorist attacks in the past. We all therefore have a stake in combating terrorism. We must refocus our collective attention on measures we can take to deal with this threat. In particular, we must do everything we can to prevent terrorists and the nations that support them from obtaining items and technologies necessary for the development of weapons of mass destruction and the means to deliver them. And one of the most important tools that we have to accomplish this goal is export controls.
It is a high priority of the U.S. government to strengthen and deepen multilateral cooperation on export controls. Only those controls that are maintained multilaterally will be effective in stemming proliferation. Without multilateral cooperation, would-be terrorists or rogue states that are denied a critical item by one country may well be able to obtain the same item from another country that does not control its exports as stringently. In order to put in place effective export controls, supplier and transit countries must work together.
Commitments to maintain multilateral export controls, however, are effective only when the individual countries making them have the legal basis, administrative structures, and political will for implementing and enforcing those commitments. That is why programs such as this Symposium are critical to achieving the goal of stemming proliferation. These programs provide a forum for like-minded nations to discuss export control issues, and to share information about ideas that have worked - or those that have not worked - on a national level in our countries.
In recent months, the United States has been criticized - unfairly in my view - for allegedly engaging in a unilateral and isolationist foreign policy. That was not, that is not, and that will not be the case. The United States strongly supports effective multilateral cooperation on export controls and in the fight against terrorism. And we look forward to working with you and your governments on these important tasks.
Of course, our objective to strengthen multilateral export controls has an impact on free trade - though not, in my view, a detrimental one. It may seem at first glance that a balance between national security concerns and economic ones cannot be maintained; that controls on exports are the antithesis of free trade. But I don't believe that is necessarily the case. In my opinion, export controls should not simply be viewed as imposing restrictions on the free flow of goods. Rather, I would suggest that they be viewed as supporting conditions for a safe and secure global economy; conditions that are essential to a sustainable system of free trade.
In other words, export controls are not only consistent with free trade, they are an important ingredient for preserving the international trading system. Effective export controls help ensure that markets are not destabilized by terrorism, or by regional arms races, or by the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. In fact, I am quite confident that neither the American public - nor the general public in each of your countries - would support an international trading system that permits our companies to help arm terrorists. Export controls are thus one method by which the government and industry can work together to ensure responsible trade and, thereby, advance free trade. I hope that you will keep this perspective in mind as you participate in this Symposium.
In closing, I would like to thank the Acting Director of the Bureau's nonproliferation export control team, Gene Petersen-Beard, and his staff for their hard work in organizing and planning this Symposium. I sincerely hope that you all will benefit during this Symposium from the presentations by members of my Bureau and your discussions with them. I also would like to thank the U.S. Department of State for providing us with the financial support necessary to conduct this Symposium.
Now I would like to introduce three of my colleagues from the Bureau of Export Administration who also will be making some brief remarks. These gentlemen lead our licensing, enforcement, and legal personnel. I am not only fortunate, but proud, to have such well-qualified and talented officials assist me in overseeing and directing the operations of the Bureau.
First, Jim Jochum is the Assistant Secretary for Export Administration. Jim has extensive experience in both the public sector working in the U.S. Congress and in the private sector as a lawyer and a consultant before he came to the Bureau. He oversees all of our export licensing activities and directs the implementation of U.S. export control policy through our regulations.
Next, Mike Garcia is the Assistant Secretary for Export Enforcement. Mike is a former federal prosecutor in New York where he worked on terrorism cases, most recently prosecuting the four individuals charged with the bombings of the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. Mike oversees all of the Bureau's enforcement activities and supervises our enforcement field offices that are located throughout the United States.
Finally, Karan Bhatia is the Chief Counsel for Export Administration. Karan was a partner at a major international law firm in town before joining the Bureau this year. He is a first-rate lawyer and provides legal advice and counseling essential to the operation of all aspects of this Bureau.
Let me close by saying again that I hope you will find value in the presentations that you hear this week. I am quite confident that we, as your hosts, will benefit greatly from the information and perspectives that you will provide to us. So thank you again for coming, and welcome to our Symposium.
In April of 2002 the Bureau of Export Administration (BXA) changed its name to the Bureau of Industry and Security(BIS). For historical purposes we have not changed the references to BXA in the legacy documents found in the Archived Press and Public Information.