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 Home > News & Policies > June 2003

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
June 2, 2003

U.S. Actions at the G-8 Summit

     Fact sheet In Focus: G8 2003

“Today our alliance of freedom faces a new enemy – a lethal combination of terrorist groups… outlaw states seeking weapons of mass destruction… and an ideology of power and domination that targets the innocent and justifies any crime. This is a time for all of us to unite in defense of liberty, and step up to the shared duties of free nations. This is no time to stir up divisions in a great alliance.”

President George W. Bush
May 31, 2003

Presidential Action

President Bush today urged increased G-8 action to spur global economic growth, and welcomed agreements on a series of new G-8 initiatives to combat terror and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. The G-8 leaders also endorsed action plans on science and technology, famine relief, and water, which build on U.S. policies.

GLOBAL ECONOMY

Promoting Global Economic Growth: The G-8 Leaders expressed confidence in the growth potential of their economies. President Bush highlighted his recently enacted Jobs and Growth Plan to generate jobs and spur increased growth in the U.S. economy. He encouraged his G-8 colleagues to take similarly decisive action to create multiple engines of global economic growth.

Trade: The G-8 Leaders stressed that trade represents the optimum path to global growth. They issued an Action Plan on Trade, reaffirming their commitment to ensuring the success of the Doha WTO trade negotiations by end-2004, and to ensuring that the Cancun Ministerial meeting in September takes the decisions necessary to achieve that goal.

Preventing and Resolving Financial Crises: Achieving a key U.S. priority, the G-8 Leaders agreed to “promote the widespread adoption of collective action clauses” in developing country debt offerings. These clauses, which have already been incorporated into debt offerings by Mexico, Uruguay, Brazil, and South Africa, ensure a more orderly restructuring of sovereign debt.

Transparency and Anti-Corruption: The World Bank has identified corruption as the single greatest obstacle to economic growth and development. The United States has been a leader in fighting foreign official corruption. Today, President Bush and his G-8 colleagues endorsed agreement on a G-8 Transparency and Anti-Corruption Action Plan, which commits the G-8 to, among other things:

  • Seek to deny safe haven to corrupt leaders and their assets;
  • Push for accelerated and effective implementation of the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention; and
  • Establish pilot projects on public finance and procurement transparency in developing countries with large extractive industry sectors.

SECURITY

Enhancing Security of Civil Aviation: The G-8 adopted a U.S.-driven Action Plan to enhance civil aviation security by reducing the proliferation of shoulder-launched missiles (Man-Portable Air Defense Systems, or MANPADS). The Action Plan commits the G-8 to:

  • Adopt strict national controls over inventories and exports of MANPADS and key components;
  • Ban transfers of MANPADS to non-state end-users;
  • Provide assistance to countries that wish to dispose of excess MANPADS stocks but lack the means to do so;
  • Exchange information on countries that are not cooperating in the efforts to control stockpiles of these weapons; and
  • Examine feasibility of development for newly produced MANPADS of specific technical performance or launch control features that would preclude unauthorized use.

Counterterrorism Action Group: President Bush and the other G8 Leaders agreed to establish a Counterterrorism Action Group (CTAG) of donor countries to increase counterterrorism assistance and training for countries with the will but not the skill to fight terror. CTAG will focus on assistance needs in areas such as terrorist financing, customs and immigration controls, illegal arms trafficking, and law enforcement. CTAG will also support efforts of the UN Counterterrorism Committee in implementing UN Security Council Resolution 1373.

Broadening the Global Partnership Against Weapons of Mass Destruction: In a significant step forward, the G-8 Global Partnership Against the Spread of Weapons and Materials of Mass Destruction, which was launched at last year’s Kananaskis Summit, has been broadened to non-G8 countries, including Finland, Norway, Poland, Sweden, and Switzerland. The United States is the leading supporter of the Global Partnership, having pledged $10 billion over 10 years, one-half of the total G-7 commitment.

Action on Nonproliferation: President Bush underscored the growing threat from the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. The G8 Leaders issued a strong statement stressing that this “global challenge requires a multifaceted solution” and noting their determination “to tackle it individually and collectively – working together and with other partners.” The Leaders’ Statement addressed the challenge posed by North Korea and Iran’s nuclear programs:

  • The Leaders urged North Korea to “visibly, verifiably and irreversibly dismantle any nuclear weapons programs.”
  • G-8 Leaders said they “will not ignore the proliferation implications of Iran’s advanced nuclear program.” They stressed “the importance of Iran’s full compliance with its obligations under the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty”, and offered their “strongest support to a comprehensive IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) examination of [Iran’s] nuclear program.”

Reducing the “Dirty Bomb” Threat: With U.S. encouragement, the G-8 launched a major new initiative to improve the security of radioactive sources and prevent their use by terrorists in so-called “dirty bombs.” The initiative complements International Atomic Energy Agency programs and commits the G-8 to:

  • Track sources and cooperate to recover “orphan sources”;
  • Improve export controls;
  • Increase physical protection;
  • Ensure safe disposal of spent sources; and
  • Offer assistance and technical support to other countries.

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Action on New Technologies to Improve Environment and Health: G-8 Leaders agreed today on an Action Plan on Science & Technology designed to care for our environment while growing our economies. The G8 Action builds directly on U.S. initiatives to develop transformational technologies for:

  • More affordable, more proliferation-resistant nuclear technologies for the near future;
  • Cleaner coal for global deployment within a decade; and
  • Cost-competitive hydrogen fuel cell vehicles within 20 years. The U.S. is leading by example and investing $1.7 billion in the development of hydrogen fuel cell technology and the hydrogen-powered “Freedom Car.”

Action on Famine Relief: The G-8 Leaders endorsed a U.S.-driven Action Plan on famine, which calls for:

  • Responding to the current food crisis;
  • Recognizing famine signs more quickly and responding more efficiently; and
  • Helping countries increase agricultural productivity through improved technologies, including biotechnology.

Water Action Plan: The G-8 leaders endorsed a Water Action Plan that builds on the principles and goals of President Bush’s $1 billion Water for the Poor Initiative. The Action Plan includes two components of the Water for the Poor Initiative: point-of-use technologies (chlorine-based solutions and filters used in the household), which are demonstrably effective in combating disease and saving lives, and revolving funds, which allow communities to finance capital-intensive water infrastructure projects over an affordable period of time at competitive rates.