*EPF414 09/11/2003
WMD Anti-proliferation Regime to Receive Initial Test
(Military Exercise in Coral Sea Planned for September 13-14) (620)

By Rebecca Ford Mitchell
Washington File Staff Writer

Washington -- The first of 10 planned exercises in a multinational operation to combat the growing weapons proliferation threat will occur this weekend in the Coral Sea, according to a senior State Department official speaking to reporters on background September 9.

The interdiction exercises are part of the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) announced by President Bush in Krakow, Poland, in May. The initiative is aimed at preventing the spread of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and delivery systems by intercepting and searching vessels, aircraft, and land vehicles reasonably suspected of transporting WMD-related cargoes.

"Pacific Protector," a September 13-14 maritime interdiction exercise led by Australia, will draw upon the military and law enforcement resources of the lead country, plus those of the United States, France and Japan. Currently, 11 nations are participating in the initiative and agreed to a "Statement of Interdiction Principles" at a meeting in Paris September 4.

The other seven affiliated nations are Britain, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, and Spain.

Pointing out that PSI is not an organization to which members belong but rather an activity in which nations participate, the official explained that those committed to the initiative had provided copies of the principles to all countries with which they have diplomatic relations, to solicit both support and participation. The next steps, the official said, will be determined at a meeting in London October 9-10 where the reactions and comments of those solicited countries will be discussed.

"We think it's important, for a variety reasons," the official said, "to go out as broadly as we can, not only to solicit support from countries that are likely to be sympathetic with our objectives, but also to let the potential proliferators or the potential sellers of proliferation [know]that we have raised our efforts on the interdiction front to a new level. So the more broadly, the more widely the circumstances of the PSI are known, we think, the greater the likelihood that we'll have the desired negative effect on proliferation."

Although acknowledging that PSI cannot totally prevent proliferation, "we think [it] will have," the official said, "a dramatic negative impact in international commerce that will, in turn, slow down the ability of potential proliferators to get the technology that they need.

"The fact is that the international commerce in WMD and associated materials is continuing and continues to pose a substantial threat to the United States and its allies. So we felt it was necessary -- and that's why the president announced the initiative -- to do more ... to stop this trade or at least to deter it, dissuade it, raise the transaction cost of countries that are engaged in it."

In answer to a question on the legality of the search and seizure initiative, the official responded that all nations already have substantial authority within current international law. "The question," he said, "of what is permissible and what is not permissible, obviously, varies on a case-to-case basis, but we have made it clear from the outset that we do not intend to proceed with interdictions without a clear national or international authority. Where there are gaps or ambiguities in our authority, we may consider seeking additional sources for such authority." The U.N. Security Council was cited as one such source.

According to the official, the initiative will complement existing national and multilateral WMD export control regimes.

Although Iran and North Korea have been named as countries of concern for their proliferation activities, the official said the PSI effort is worldwide in nature and "is not solely targeted against one or two countries."

(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)

Return to Public File Main Page

Return to Public Table of Contents