Press Release of Senator Lugar Lugar says arms control has suffered significant setbacks Wednesday, January 30, 2008 U.S. Sen. Dick Lugar said today that, “The United States lacks even minimal confidence about many foreign weapons programs. In most cases, there is little or no information regarding the number of weapons or amounts of materials a country may have produced, the storage procedures they employ to safeguard their weapons, or plans regarding further production or destruction programs. We must pay much more attention to making certain that all weapons and materials of mass destruction are identified, continuously guarded, and systematically destroyed.”   “Unfortunately, the nuclear non-proliferation and arms control regimes have suffered significant setbacks in recent years. There is growing concern, both in the United States and abroad, that U.S. non-proliferation and arms control policies lack a unifying consensus on how to pursue U.S. strategic interests. As contradictions in American policy have emerged, confidence in U.S. leadership on non-proliferation and arms control has eroded and U.S. commitment is being questioned in foreign capitals.”      Lugar delivered the remarks today at conference in Chantilly, Virginia entitled “Defense in Depth Against WMD Threats: Preparedness at Home and Abroad.” The conference was sponsored by the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, the U.S. Air Force and the USAF Counterproliferation Center.   “The following examples are frequently cited,” Lugar said: --the continuing inertia over negotiations regarding a Fissile Material Cutoff Treaty; --the failure of the Bush Administration to complete ratification of the IAEA Additional Protocol for more than a year after Congressional passage; --the threat to the efficacy of the Chemical Weapons Convention due to U.S. funding shortfalls; --the failure of the Bush Administration to lead in the reconstruction of the IAEA’s decrepit verification capabilities and safeguard system; --the inability to reach agreement with Russia on an extension to the START Treaty verification regime; --U.S. funding cuts to the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty’s monitoring system, which is inconsistent with Administration policy even though the U.S. has not ratified the treaty; and --questions pertaining to the U.S. response to the weapons programs of Iran and North Korea.   He said that Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction Program could be applied to North Korea, but warned against bureaucratic problems that have plagued the program before. “We should not allow bureaucratic inertia to impede potentially historic transformations in North Korea or elsewhere. The Nunn-Lugar program would have a different orientation in North Korea, but the program has the authority, flexibility, and experience to adapt to the Korean situation. Moscow and Washington have proven that former enemies can work together to achieve shared security benefits. Such a track record will be critical to a successful diplomatic process on the Korean peninsula.”   “We must eliminate those conditions that restrict us or delay our ability to act. Together, the United States and Russia have the technical expertise, the diplomatic standing, and the mutual incentives to dramatically benefit international security. American and Russian leaders must continue to work closely together to ensure that we have the political will and the resources to implement programs devoted to these ends,” Lugar said.   “It is imperative to recognize that our success in controlling weapons of mass destruction depends on cooperation with other nations and on maintaining a basic consensus on non-proliferation principles. To the degree that the U.S. fails to exercise leadership or meet its own commitments, we create opportunities for others to undercut this consensus. A significant shift in American policy will be necessary if we are to fully restore American credibility and leadership on non-proliferation and arms control,” Lugar said.   “The United States and Russia are the two most critical players in non-proliferation and arms control. Despite the rhetoric of recent months, the two countries must accept the fact that we need each other. We must be as energetic in searching for common ground as we have been lately in voicing our frustration. Kremlin rhetoric will swing from one end of the strategic spectrum to the other. Commitments will be made and then put on hold. Projects will be on and then off. Our frustration level will be high. But we must not lose patience or miss the possibilities of cooperative threat reduction,” Lugar continued.   “The U.S. and Russia have worked together to implement nuclear and chemical arms control treaties. We have cooperated closely in the denuclearization of Ukraine, Belarus, and Kazakhstan. The Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction Program has become the primary tool through which the United States works with Russia to safely destroy its massive nuclear, chemical, and biological warfare capacity. More than 2,000 intercontinental missiles have been dismantled; 1,000 missile launchers have been eliminated; and more than 7,200 nuclear warheads have been deactivated through bilateral cooperation. Together, the United States and Russia have eliminated more nuclear weapons than the combined arsenals of the United Kingdom, France, and China. In addition, American and Russian experts have worked together to remove nuclear material from vulnerable locations around the world and to secure it in Russia.   “Critics argue that Russia’s energy income windfall should cause the United States to withdraw dismantlement and non-proliferation assistance. Others attempt to resuscitate the fungibility argument, which asserts that each dollar we spend in Russia frees up dollars that Moscow can put elsewhere. But we should recall that the Nunn-Lugar program was created to safeguard our own national security interests, and these interests exist regardless of the current state of Russia’s financial fortunes,” Lugar said.   “Beyond dismantlement, the Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction Program has provided an operational basis for the expansion of relations between Russia and the United States. Even during moments of tension between our countries, the Nunn-Lugar program has remained a constant. Both sides recognize the importance of this endeavor to our mutual security. It has evolved far beyond just an assistance program. It is a partnership between two nations that share a common commitment to address a common threat. Our shared experiences and record of cooperation have already produced results outside of Russia. The program eliminated a formerly secret chemical weapons stockpile in Albania. Other governments, such as Pakistan, the Philippines, and Indonesia are now quietly inquiring about Nunn-Lugar assistance with dangerous weapons and materials.    “I have never considered Nunn-Lugar to be merely a program, or a funding source, or a set of agreements. Rather, it is a concept through which we attempt to take control of a threat of our own making. It is an engine of non-proliferation cooperation and expertise that can be applied around the world,” Lugar said.   Full text of the speech can be found at: http://lugar.senate.gov/press/record.cfm?id=291461.     # # #