Disarmament Diplomacy

Issue No. 58, June 2001

Documents and Sources

President Bush Visit to Europe: IV. Other Statements & Comment

President Bush speech in Warsaw, June 15

"[T]he basis for our mutual security must move beyond Cold War doctrines. Today, we face growing threats from weapons of mass destruction and missiles in the hands of states for whom terror and blackmail are a way of life. So we must have a broad strategy of non-proliferation; counter-proliferation; and a new concept of deterrence that includes defences sufficient to protect our people, our forces, and our allies, as well as reduced reliance on nuclear weapons. ... We must confront the shared security threats of regimes that thrive by creating instability, that are ambitious for weapons of mass destruction, and [that] are dangerously unpredictable. In Europe, you're closer to these challenges than the United States. You see the lightning well before we hear the thunder. Only together, however, can we confront the emerging threats of a changing world."

Source: Transcript - President Bush remarks at Warsaw University June 15, Washington File, June 15.

US-Poland Statement, June 15

"We face a common threat from the growing proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and increasingly sophisticated missiles for their delivery. We are engaged in a consultation process with all interested parties about this new threat. We agree on the need for a comprehensive security strategy that encompasses both offensive and defence deterrent systems, continues nuclear arms reductions, and strengthens WMD and missile proliferation controls and counter-proliferation measures."

Source: Joint Statement by President George W. Bush and President Aleksander Kwasniewski, The White House, Office of the Press Secretary, Warsaw, June 15.

Press Conference, President Bush and Polish Prime Minister Aleksander Kwasniewski, June 15

"Question: 'President Bush, there are fresh reports today about concerns of the US government of proliferation from the Russian government, selling certain materials to nations such as Iran. ...'

President Bush: '... I am concerned about some reports of the proliferation of weapons throughout - on Russia's southern border, for example... I think it's important for Russia to hear that our nation is concerned about the spreading of weapons of mass destruction. And I'll bring it up in the context of explaining why it is important for us to think differently about missile defenses, to think differently about the Cold War doctrine that is codified in the ABM Treaty of 1972. ...' ...

Question: 'The first question to President Kwasniewski, I am intrigued whether you used the opportunity during your talks with the President...[to discuss] missile defense?'

President Kwasniewski: 'When it comes to the missile defense system, following the presentation of President Bush's opinion in Brussels, the case seems very clear. The United States wishes to build this system, not exclusively safeguarding its own interests, but to reinforce a general world security. And the United States wants to do some more research and enter dialogue with all partners, both in NATO as well as with Russia and other partners about that issue. And I think this is a very rightful and a very appropriate position. And if we're going to work along these lines, it may turn out that the new security systems are not controversial at all, and that they would not constitute any problems for us, but would, rather, reinforce our feeling of security. It goes beyond any doubt that the Cold War is over, and that today we do not have such enemies that we used to have in the past, and that it is possible to cooperate with every democratically organised state in the world. We're convinced that if reaching these decisions could be...achieved through a dialogue, and the search for opinions in the form of a dialogue, then certainly we will achieve mutual understanding. And this is how I understood President Bush's presentation in Brussels. And I think that President Bush's presentation actually took away all those fears that were connected with this position. I think this is a very reasonable, very appropriate attitude on the part of the United States of America. Star Wars was an idea that matched the ideological confrontation. Today we're talking about global security, and these are completely two different animals.'

President Bush: 'I appreciate what the President said in the meeting that went on in Brussels, and he's right. There was receptivity to a new way of thinking about the ABM Treaty. And I was very pleased to see how forward-leaning many nations were during our discussion. There are a lot of leaders who understand that the old Cold War mentality is not necessary anymore, that it's time to set a new strategic framework for the peace of Europe and peace for the world. I don't know what the press reports are like, but I can assure you, inside the meeting there was a [very warm] receptivity...for which I was very grateful, and the President just reflected that. ...'"

Source: Transcript - Bush-Kwasniewski Joint Press Conference June 15, Washington File, June 15.

Press Conference, President Bush and Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar, Madrid, June 12

"Question: 'Mr. President, the EU today rejected your global warming initiative, Mr. President, and weeks of consultations have not eased the objections to your missile defense plans in most European capitals. I have two questions on that. Are these issues so important that you're willing to go it alone if the European allies won't come on board?'

President Bush: '...I look forward to making my case...about missile defense. It starts with explaining to Russia and our European friends and allies that Russia is not the enemy of the United States; that the attitude of mutually assured destruction is a relic of the Cold War, and that we must address the new threats of the 21st century if we're to have a peaceful continent and a peaceful world. Those new threats are terrorism, based upon the capacity of some countries to develop weapons of mass destruction, and therefore, hold the United States and our friends hostage. It is so important we think differently in order to address those threats. I believe that people are interested in our opinion. I believe Mr. Putin is interested in our opinions. I know the President of Spain was willing to listen as to why it's important to think differently in order to keep the peace. The ABM Treaty prevents our nation and other freedom-loving nations from exploring opportunities to be able to say to those who would hold freedom-loving peoples hostage that we're not going to let you do so. And so I look forward to consulting and continue the consultations that have already begun. ...'

Prime Minister Aznar: '...I want to thank President Bush for the initiatives he's taken on in explaining this missile defense program, and all of the explanations and information he has been kind enough to provide me this afternoon. I want to say that...it's absolutely understandable for any President to be concerned about the security of his citizens. And in this particular case, obviously there is a concern that's shared as a result of the collective security that we share. I sincerely believe that no one should be surprised that when we pose issues based on overcoming the past of the Cold War, policies going beyond the Cold War, presentations that go beyond the historical conflict of the Cold War, and we talk about new threats, new challenges, new problems, new challenges in general, again, in security, we come to new initiatives. So far, these initiatives have all been virtual in the sense that they were based on an offensive deterrent factor. Now, we have an initiative that is based on defensive issues. It has not been demonstrated anywhere, nor has anyone been able to show that that defensive initiative is something that cannot lead to greater and better security. For that reason, it is very important for President Bush to have decided to share that initiative with his allies, to discuss it with them, to establish a framework of cooperation with his allies with regard to this initiative, and as he announced, to also establish a framework of discussions, cooperation and a new relationship with Russia. What I'm surprised by is the fact that there are people who, from the start, disqualified this initiative. And that way, they're also disqualifying the deterrence that has existed so far and probably they would also disqualify any other kind of initiative. But what we're dealing with here is an attempt to provide greater security for everyone. And from that point of view, that initiative, to share and discuss and dialogue and reach common ground with the President of the United States, is something that I greatly appreciate. ...' ...

President Bush: 'We've spent a fair amount of time today over lunch discussing terrorism, international terrorism, as well as terrorism within Spain. ... Part of the missile defense dialogue is about fighting terrorism. If someone is able to blackmail freedom-loving countries, it could prevent countries like Spain and the United States from being forward-thinking about fighting terrorism. ...'

Question: 'You say the scientific evidence isn't strong enough to go forward with Kyoto. So how...do you justify your missile defense plan, when there's even less scientific evidence?'

President Bush: 'Part of the problem with the ABM Treaty is that it prevents a full exploration of possibility. We're bound by a treaty signed in 1972 that prohibits the United States from investigating all possibilities as to how to intercept missiles. For example, the technology of intercept on launch is a technology that we must more fully explore in order to make sure that we have the defensive capabilities necessary to prevent what I call blackmail. So part of the reasons we're having the dialogue in the first place is to enable us to explore all our options, so that I can turn to the President of Spain one day and say our research and development has shown us that not only can we deploy, but effectively deploy, the capacity to shoot down a weapon from someone that may threaten Spain, may threaten the United States, or threaten our allies... The ABM Treaty is a relic of the past. It prevents freedom-loving people from exploring the future. And that's why we've got to lay it aside. ... The days of the Cold War have ended, and so must the Cold War mentality, as far as I'm concerned. And I believe we're going to make great progress on this issue; I truly do. I realize it's going to require a lot of consultation, but I'm willing to listen. President Aznar had a lot of interesting points of view. He had a lot of very good questions to ask. One of them was your question, how do we know if it will work? And the only way to know...will be for the United States to spend the dollars, and have the capacity to do research and development on this very important issue.'"

Source: Transcript - Bush Press Conference with President Aznar in Madrid, Washington File, June 12.