Remarks by Charge D’Affaires Theodore Allegra at the Closing Ceremony of the Workshop on the Identification of Components of Weapons of Mass Destruction

Raffles Hotel Le Royal February 19, 2010

H.E. Om Yentieng, Senior Minister and Deputy Director of the National
Counter-Terrorism Committee
Excellencies, distinguished Participants and Guests. 

It’s an honor for me to join you in celebrating the conclusion of this important Workshop on the Identification of Components of Weapons of Mass Destruction. 

As you know, this three-day seminar was intended to build professional capacity within the Royal Government of Cambodia to detect and intercept shipments of potentially dangerous technologies.

We also hope that in additional to providing practical information to simplify the complexity of the various export control lists and give you "a trained eye" for investigating shipments of potentially dangerous technologies, the program also has increased your understanding of the broad array of international tools to combat the spread of WMD.

The training program is part of a larger strategy for providing technical assistance as part of the United States’ obligations under UNSCR 1540.  Our Export Control and Related Border Security program funds much of the training aimed at helping countries develop strong strategic trade control policies consistent with international standards, without impairing the flow of legitimate trade. 

We are grateful for this cooperation, and look forward to our continued mutual efforts to control proliferation-sensitive commerce and to secure our economic and security interests. 

I wish to thank the Secretariat of the National Counter Terrorism Committee, the Export Control and Related Border Security Program, and the U.S. Department of Energy’s International Nonproliferation Export Control Program for their work in helping to put this workshop together.

I’d also like to thank His Excellency Senior Minister Om Yentieng, for his leadership on this initiative.  The United States appreciates Your Excellency’s support for the training course and the global effort to combat illicit trafficking of WMD, and we look forward to continuing to work with the Royal Government of Cambodia to take the steps necessary to combat proliferation.

It is my pleasure and privilege to have this opportunity to recognize those of you who participated in this Workshop on the Identification of Components of Weapons of Mass Destruction.

I wish you the best of luck as you put your new knowledge and skills to use to assist in global efforts to prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and the materials used to produce them.