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 Home > News & Policies > June 2003

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

Stopping Spread of WMD Fact Sheet

Broadening the Partnership to Stop the Spread of Weapons of Mass Destruction

Presidential Action

Today, President Bush welcomed the decisions of Norway, Poland, Switzerland, Finland, and Sweden to join the Global Partnership Against the Spread of Weapons and Materials of Mass Destruction.

The President also welcomed the progress made in significant Global Partnership projects to reduce and prevent the proliferation of weapons and materials of mass destruction, and weapons delivery systems.

Progress Since Kananaskis: The Global Partnership, which focuses on nonproliferation, disarmament, counterterrorism, and nuclear safety projects in the former Soviet states, was launched at last year's G-8 Summit in Kananaskis. It has since:

  • Obtained pledges for much of its $20 billion goal. Implemented frameworks and new projects, including: The United States began construction in March of the chemical weapons destruction facility at Shchuch'ye, which will destroy Russian nerve-agent-filled weapons.
  • France plans to begin three projects in 2003 to deal with nuclear fuel and solid waste from dismantled nuclear submarines.
  • Germany expects to begin in June projects to increase physical protection at 17 sites storing fissile material.
  • Japan and Russia reached agreement this year on a project for dismantlement of general purpose nuclear submarines in the Far East.
  • The United Kingdom began this year to construct the transformer station for the Shchuch'ye facility.
  • Broadened participation in the Global Partnership to non-G-8 countries to include Norway, Poland, Switzerland, Finland, and Sweden. We look forward to the participation of other countries.

Building on that progress, the G-8 Leaders adopted an action plan to expand project activities, to reach the Kananaskis financial commitment, to resolve remaining implementation challenges, and to broaden participation in the Global Partnership.

U.S. Leadership: The United States has been a driving force behind the Global Partnership and looks forward to continuing this role during its G-8 Presidency. This initiative builds on more than a decade of cooperation between the United States and former Soviet states to reduce weapons and materials of mass destruction stockpiles and to prevent proliferation. From FY 1992 through FY 2003, the United States allocated over $8 billion for these purposes, and President Bush has requested another $1 billion for FY 2004, and has pledged a total of $10 billion over the ten-year period through 2013.