Title:  "US, Russia Agree on MTCR Guidelines." The State Department has announced that the US and Russia have agreed on a common approach to missile proliferation issues guided by the criteria and standards of the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR). (930716)

Translated Title:  Accord entre les Etats-Unis et la Russie. (930716)
Author:  SCHERR, ED (USIA STAFF WRITER)
Date:  19930716

Text:
U.S., RUSSIA AGREE ON MTCR GUIDELINES

(Russia "freezes" sale of rockets to India) (740) By Edmund F. Scherr USIA Diplomatic Correspondent Washington -- The State Department announced July 16 that the United States and Russia have agreed on a common approach to missile proliferation issues guided by the criteria and standards of the multilateral Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR).

Russia, the Department said, also has agreed to "freeze" the proposed sale of rocket engines and related technology to India.

Under the agreement, the Moscow government will follow "closely" the MTCR beginning November 1, 1993, explained Lynn Davis, under secretary of state for international security affairs; Davis headed the U.S. team which just concluded two days of discussions with the Russians on the matter.

The sale of this technology has been a major concern of the United States, Davis indicated, since neither Russia nor India are partners of the MTCR.

The transfer of rocket engines and technology to India will be halted pending discussions between Russia and India on the future of that contact, looking for cooperation based on the goals of the MTCR, Davis said.

The two countries also agreed on a broad program of space cooperation, including the launching of civilian satellites and collaborating on a space station. The United States also held out the promise of space cooperation with India if that nation becomes an observer to the MTCR and abides by the regime and its guidelines.

Russia has agreed to become an observer of the regime, and Davis said the United States wants Russia eventually to become a partner in the MTCR.

According to Davis, the first step to becoming a partner is to put in place the export controls in the regime that were agreed upon by the United States and Russia.

At a State Department briefing, spokesman Michael McCurry said the U.S.-Russian agreement "makes an important contribution to the expanding U.S. partnership with Russia and to our joint efforts to lead the way in the global promotion of non-proliferation."

"It's a foundation upon which we will continue to build our partnership with Russia, especially in the area of space cooperation," he continued.

"We look forward to the upcoming meeting that the bilateral Commission on Space and Energy Issues will be having, established at the Vancouver summit by Presidents Clinton and Yeltsin," he continued. "And we understand that Vice President Gore and Prime Minister Chernomyrdin will be meeting very soon to pursue our further plans for space cooperation."

He noted that membership in the MTCR is a decision that's taken collectively by the members, the adherents to the MTCR. "We would welcome an application by Russia to join the MTCR," he said, but that's something that was not addressed during the talks in Washington.

He said the nonproliferation goals that the United States has in mind for Russia are the same ones that it has in mind for India. "We're working now with India to further those goals, including adherence to the MTCR," and "the possibility of expanded space cooperation with India."

Davis told reporters that there has not been a "serious" transfer of missile and engine technology and knowledge," though some information was given to India in the early stages of negotiating the deal with Russia. "Therefore the freeze puts a stop" to such technology transfers in the future.

She said that there has been no transfer of Russian rocket engines to India. "There may be a transfer of a few engines, but that will occur after discussions between Russia and India, and (it's) not something for the United States to have a strong view about," she said.

In the past Russia had said that the rocket engine deal did not violate the MTCR. When asked about this, Davis noted that "sometimes it takes time to understand" both the goals and provisions of that regime.

"So we worked closely to come to a common understanding of our overall goals to prevent the proliferation of missiles and missile technologies" and then work with the Russians "through the specifics of the Indian deal and our particular concerns," she said.

Through those bilateral discussions, Davis continued, Russia "agreed that there were dangers associated" with the Indian sale and "wished to prevent those dangers in the future."

She said the United States is not compensating Russia for lost revenue because the Russian contract with India has been stopped.

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