| Media Note Office of the Spokesman Washington, DC April 21, 2006 Joint United States-Russian Federation Statement on the U.S.-Russia MANPADS Arrangement on Cooperation in Enhancing Control of Man-Portable Air Defense SystemsFollowing is the text of a joint statement issued by the United States and the Russian Federation at the conclusion of the Second Expert-Level Meeting. BEGIN TEXT: Delegations from the United States and the Russian Federation met on April 19-21, 2006 in Washington to discuss implementation of the U.S.-Russia MANPADS Arrangement on Cooperation in Enhancing Control of Man-Portable Air Defense Systems (MANPADS). This meeting was the second in a series of expert-level meetings intended to facilitate the implementation of the Arrangement, which supports our common goal of combating the illicit proliferation of MANPADS -- systems which pose a serious threat to civil aviation, especially in the hands of terrorists. The first meeting took place December 1-2, 2005 in Moscow. The delegation discussed the results of our second bilateral exchange of information on the transfer of MANPADS to third countries; they discussed eliminating MANPADS from black markets; and they exchanged information on destruction practices and stockpile security and management practices. The sides expressed satisfaction with the results of the work accomplished and look forward to their next meeting possibly in late 2006 or early 2007.
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