14 December 2000 U.S.-Russia Sign Agreement To End Medium-Range Missile Inspections The United States and Russia signed an arms control agreement in Switzerland on December 14 that will end inspections of the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) missile production plants in Utah and Votkinsk. Arms control inspectors will cease continuous portal monitoring on May 31, 2001 following 13 years of active inspections. The amendment to the 1987 INF Treaty's Memorandum of Agreement was also initialed by Belarus, Kazakhstan and Ukraine at a signing ceremony at the U.S. mission in Geneva. The INF Treaty was the first arms control agreement leading to the complete elimination of an entire class of missiles as it places a permanent ban on the deployment of ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles with ranges of 500 to 5,500 kilometers. Following is the text of the joint statement: At the signing ceremony on December 14, 2000, in Geneva, at the Twenty-sixth Session of the Special Verification Commission (SVC), representatives of the United States of America, the Republic of Belarus, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Russian Federation and Ukraine signed an amendment to the INF Treaty's Memorandum of Agreement (MOA). Although the INF Treaty is of unlimited duration, the treaty's extensive inspection regime, including continuous monitoring at missile assembly plants at Magna, Utah, USA and Votkinsk, Udmurtia, Russia, will be concluded at midnight May 31, 2001. The newly-signed amendment provides principles and procedures for the completion of INF inspections by means of continuous monitoring. The SVC is the forum for discussing implementation issues and agreeing upon measures to enhance the viability and effectiveness of the Treaty Between the United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics on the Elimination of their Intermediate-range and Shorter-range Missiles, which entered into force in June 1988. (Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov) Return to the Washington File