The United States participates in a number of informal groups of countries that cooperate to control the proliferation of conventional arms, missiles, and weapons of mass destruction -- nuclear, chemical, and biological -- through common export-control policies. None of the groups is based on a treaty. Among them are the following:

Wassenaar Arrangement

In July 1996, after two years of negotiations, 33 countries approved guidelines and procedures for the Wassenaar Arrangement on Export Controls for Conventional Arms and Dual-Use Goods and Technologies.

Wassenaar Arrangement members seek to coordinate export controls on conventional arms as well as "dual-use" advanced materials and technology -- those that have both military and civilian applications.

The aim of the group is to prevent advanced arms and technology from going to pariah states like Iraq, Libya, and North Korea and to regions of instability like South Asia.

Clinton administration officials have characterized the Wassenaar Arrangement as a work in progress that should, over time, become as effective and reliable as any of the other non-proliferation regimes.

Named after the city in the Netherlands where the initial elements were negotiated, the Wassenaar Arrangement was negotiated after termination of the Coordinating Committee for Multilateral Export Controls (COCOM), the Cold War-era group that controlled exports of advanced technology to prevent their diversion to the Soviet bloc and China.

Unlike the present multilateral regimes, which give each country discretion in enforcing the agreed export controls, COCOM effectively restricted national discretion because one member could veto a sale proposed by another.

The current members of the Wassenaar Arrangement are Argentina, Austria, Australia, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Missile Technology Control Regime

Formed in 1987, the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) is a group of countries seeking, through coordinated export controls, to arrest the proliferation of ballistic missiles and other means for delivering weapons of mass destruction by air.

The MTCR aims to restrict the proliferation of missiles, unmanned air vehicles, and related technology for those systems capable of carrying a 500-kilogram payload at least 300 kilometers, as well as systems intended for delivery of weapons of mass destruction.

The current members are Argentina, Austria, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Russia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Australia Group

Formed in 1984 and chaired by Australia, the Australia Group is a group of countries that seek to curb the proliferation of chemical and biological weapons through coordinated export controls on: chemical weapons precursors; dual-use chemical and biological manufacturing facilities, equipment, and related technology; and biological agents including plant, animal, and human pathogens and toxins.

The current members are Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, the European Union, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Nuclear Suppliers Group

The Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) is a group of Nuclear Non-Nuclear Proliferation Treaty supplier countries that coordinates on applying International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards to prevent diversion of exported nuclear fuel to weapons use. In the 1990s the group also began coordinating control policies on nuclear-related enrichment, reprocessing, and heavy water production plants; dual-use goods like machine tools; technical information; and technical assistance.

The current members are Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, the European Union, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

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SOURCES: U.S. Department of State; U.S. Department of Commerce; Arms Control and Disarmament Agency