11 September 2000 Cohen Salutes Nobel Peace Prize Nominees Nunn and Lugar The "groundbreaking legislation" that bears the names of former Senator Sam Nunn (Democrat, Georgia) and Senator Richard Lugar (Republican, Indiana) has enabled the Department of Defense to make "huge strides towards reducing the threat to the United States posed by nuclear weapons in Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Belarus," Defense Secretary Cohen said September 11 in a written statement welcoming their nomination for the 2000 Nobel Peace Prize. He said that through the 1991 legislation, the Defense Department's Cooperative Threat Reduction (CTR) program has been able to enhance safety, security, control and accounting of nuclear weapons and fissile materials to prevent dangerous proliferation. Following is the text of Cohen's remarks: "I was glad to learn of the nomination of my friends and former colleagues Senators Sam Nunn and Dick Lugar for the 2000 Nobel Peace Prize. The groundbreaking legislation that bears their names is a lasting testament to the value and power of bipartisan action on foreign and defense policy. "Under authorities granted by the Nunn-Lugar legislation in 1991, the Department of Defense has made huge strides towards reducing the threat to the United States posed by nuclear weapons in Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Belarus. The Department's Cooperative Threat Reduction program has assisted Russia in accelerating its strategic arms reductions to START levels, and enhanced safety, security, control and accounting of nuclear weapons and fissile materials to prevent dangerous proliferation. "The foresight and leadership shown by Sam Nunn and Dick Lugar has enabled U.S. assistance to Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Belarus to deactivate more than 5,000 strategic warheads, destroy more than 400 ICBMs (intercontinental ballistic missiles), eliminate more than 60 heavy bombers and destroy 15 Russian ballistic missile submarines. This is a vast array of weapons that no longer endanger the United States, our allies or our friends. "I salute Sam Nunn and Dick Lugar for their lasting contribution to our national security and that of the entire world." (Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov) Return to the Washington File