*EPF112 05/24/2004
Bolton Discusses Upcoming G-8 Meeting While in Moscow
(Says U.S. hopes Russia will soon decide to join PSI) (520)

The State Department's key arms control official says he traveled to Russia in order to discuss preparations for the June summit of the group of eight industrialized nations (G-8) in Sea Isle, Georgia.

Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security John Bolton held a news conference in Moscow May 20 at the conclusion of his discussions with Russian government officials. He said he expects the main security topics at the G-8 summit to be the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI), the global partnership against the spread of weapons of mass destruction (WMD), and restricting the sale of sensitive nuclear technology.

"We also expect that the leaders will discuss a number of specific matters of proliferation concern: the success that we've had in Libya ... the questions of Iran and North Korea and efforts in both countries to prevent them from acquiring nuclear weapons and advanced missile technology, and other subjects as well," Bolton said.

Concerning the PSI, Bolton noted that the government of Poland will host a meeting of more than 80 governments that have expressed their support for the Proliferation Security Initiative in Krakow at the end of May. He said the United States hopes that "Russia will join the core group of PSI countries in our efforts to interdict trafficking in WMD and international commerce."

Bolton said the global partnership against the spread of WMD is a two-year old G-8 initiative. The G-8 leaders had set a target for funding the initiative at $20 billion over a 10-year period: $10 billion from the United States, and $10 billion from the other G-8 countries.

"We expect to announce additional countries, beyond the G-8, that will have joined the global partnership and will discuss the issue of expanding the activities of the global partnership beyond the states of the former Soviet Union to include programs in countries like Libya and Iran," he said.

G-8 leaders will also discuss President Bush's suggestions to restrict the sale of sensitive nuclear technology -- such as uranium enrichment equipment -- to any country which does not already have it, Bolton said.

"There are a variety of ideas that the leaders are considering, but the issue that we are trying to resolve is to make sure that this very sensitive, very dangerous technology which can be of important assistance in states seeking a nuclear weapons capability ... does not fall into the wrong hands," Bolton said.

Responding to a reporter's question, Bolton said his Moscow included how "Iran's pursuit of nuclear weapons makes it a threat to international peace and security, and that the issue should be referred by the International Atomic Energy Agency's Board of Directors to the U.N. Security Council."

Despite possible "tactical differences" on the Iran issue among the United States, Russia, the European Union, and Japan, Bolton said "there is no difference on the fundamental point that all of us believe that Iran should not have a nuclear weapons capability."

(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)

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