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Disarmament DiplomacyIssue No. 28, July 1998Russian Investigation on Iran Export Control ViolationsEditor's note: see News Review for background and reaction.White House Statement Statement by the White House Press Secretary, 15 July 1998 Full text "The Russian government today announced that the Government Commission on export control, chaired by Minister of the Economy Yakov Urinson, is conducting special investigations on nine entities, including the INOR scientific center, the Grafit and Polyus research institutes, the Tikhomirov institute, Glavkosmos, the Komintern plant in Novosibirsk, the MOSO company, Baltic State Technical University and Europalace 2000. These enterprises are believed to have violated Russian export controls and attempted to export goods or services which could contribute to weapons of mass destruction or missiles to deliver them. The investigations may result in administrative actions and criminal prosecutions. Consistent with the Russian actions and where consistent with our own assessment, the United States will suspend immediately any US government program or assistance to entities on this list and will proceed expeditiously to impose trade restrictions on such entities. These steps support the Russian commitment to stop the flow of sensitive technologies and demonstrate the growing effectiveness of US-Russian cooperation in halting the proliferation and transfer of dangerous weapons technology and materials. The US and Russia will continue to work together to strengthen controls on such exports and to enforce compliance with the laws, policies and international agreements on such transfers." Statement by Vice-President Gore 'Statement by Vice-President Gore on the Exportation of Russian Weapons Technology,' White House Office of the Vice-President, 15 July 1998 Full text "The United States has been working diligently with the Russian government to stop the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and missile technology. Today's decision by the Russian government to investigate nine entities suspected of violating export controls is an encouraging step forward in Russia's efforts to strengthen enforcement of its non-proliferation policies. As events in the Asian subcontinent proved this spring, nuclear non-proliferation is not an abstract issue but a very real threat, with direct and immediate impact on global security. In the post-Cold War world, stemming the flow of weapons of mass destruction and missile technology is, and will remain, a top foreign policy priority of the United States Government. We will continue to work closely with the Russian government at every level to close off exports of dangerous, destabilizing weapons technology. This includes imposing trade restrictions and suspending US government programs or assistance to entities under investigation." © 1998 The Acronym Institute. |