09 March 2000
(Nuclear non-proliferation, test ban treaties first priority) (840) The United States and Japan have established a new bilateral commission to enhance international measures to prevent proliferation of nuclear arms and other weapons of mass destruction, Senior Advisor for Arms Control and International Security John Holum and Japanese Foreign Ministry Director General for Arms Control and Scientific Affairs Norio Hattori said in a joint press statement March 8. The press statement said the new bilateral commission, the "U.S.-Japan Commission on Arms Control, Disarmament, Nonproliferation and Verification," will meet every six months to review and implement joint goals, with the immediate priority being the strengthening of the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) regime and the bringing about of the early entry into force of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT). According to the statement, the commission will also work to bring about a satisfactory conclusion to the United Nations Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference, scheduled to convene next month in New York. The statement said the commission has established a Technology Cooperation Working Group, comprised of Japanese and American experts and focused on exploring possible uses of technology to verify arms control and non-proliferation treaties and agreements. The working group has already developed a concrete plan for proceeding with three projects to improve the effectiveness of the CTBT's International Monitoring System's seismic network, the statement added. Following is the text of the press statement: (begin text) JOINT PRESS STATEMENT HATTORI-HOLUM JOINT PRESS CONFERENCE March 8, 2000 Today is an historic occasion. The governments of the United States and Japan have decided to intensify and expand their diplomatic and technical cooperation to achieve goals they both value highly: -- Strengthening the international regime to halt the spread of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction; -- Ending the testing of nuclear weapons for all time by putting into force the Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty; -- Working together to prevent an arms race that would inevitably lead to instability and greater tension in the international community; -- Negotiating protocols to strengthen the Biological Weapons Convention to protect all people from the scourge of biological weapons; and -- Combining efforts in the Conference on Disarmament to initiate negotiations on a critical treaty to halt the production of fissile material for nuclear weapons. To these ends, we are announcing here today the formation of a U.S.-Japan Commission on Arms Control, Disarmament, Nonproliferation and Verification. The Commission will meet every six months to review, discuss and implement our joint goals for strengthening the international arms control, disarmament and nonproliferation regime. To further mutual understanding, the Commission will also encourage non-governmental experts in both countries to undertake enhanced collaboration efforts in pursuit of the Commission's important goals. As a first step towards closer technical cooperation, the Commission has established a Technology Cooperation Working Group. The use of technology to verify arms control and nonproliferation treaties and agreements is critical. It cuts across national and international security concerns. The activities of the new U.S.-Japan Technology Cooperation Working Group will leverage the joint expertise and funding of the U.S. and Japan to speed progress on important verification issues. Last week, in Tokyo, this experts group met to discuss initial joint projects. Focusing on measures that enhance the effectiveness of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) verification regime, the Technology Cooperation Working Group developed a concrete plan for proceeding with three projects to improve the effectiveness of the CTBT's International Monitoring System's seismic network. These projects will specifically address: -- Methods of seismic location calibration using chemical explosions -- Developing earthquake ground truth data -- Promoting seismic transparency The experts in the Technology Cooperation Working Group expect to complete detailed work plans by mid-April so that funding sources and work schedules can be developed for joint project implementation. The terms of reference of the new Commission read as follows: Japan and the United States recognize the importance of maintaining and strengthening the international arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation regime. Continuing bilateral talks provide a firm basis for cooperation in these areas. In this connection, the two countries have established "the U.S.-Japan Commission on Arms Control, Disarmament, Nonproliferation and Verification" to hold periodic and intensive discussions on the wide range of diplomatic and technical activities in this field. The Commission will augment and provide a context for existing bilateral discussions. Strengthening the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) regime and bringing about the early entry into force of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test-ban Treaty are the immediate priority items on the Commission's agenda. In the near term, the Commission will focus on efforts to ensure that the 2000 NPT Review Conference reinforces the continued important role of the NPT to global security. As part of the Commission's activities, Japanese and American experts will explore possible measures to enhance the effectiveness of the verification system as provided in the CTBT. (end text) (Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: usinfo.state.gov)