[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 115 (Thursday, September 3, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Page S9934]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    SENATOR DOMENICI REPRESENTED THE SENATE AT THE SUMMIT IN RUSSIA

  Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, Senator Domenici has been on official Senate 
business earlier this week and was therefore, necessarily absent for 
the two votes held on Tuesday and the five votes held on Wednesday. He 
attended the Summit in Russia.
  During the Summit an important agreement was signed regarding the 
management and disposition of weapons-grade plutonium. Senator Domenici 
was instrumental in first identifying this issue and recommending a 
strategy for significantly reducing the amount of dangerous plutonium 
in the world and to make sure that it is kept away from rogue states 
and terrorists. Senator Domenici's suggestions were a blueprint for 
taking advantage of this opportunity for the United States and Russia 
to work together to withdraw approximately 50 metric tons of weapons-
grade plutonium from each countries' respective nuclear weapons 
programs. This is very important arms control/non-proliferation 
objective. The countries agreed to cooperate in transforming this 
weapons-grade plutonium into a form that cannot be readily used to make 
nuclear weapons. This agreement, when its terms are carried out, will 
make the world a safer place.
  I am pleased that the Senator from New Mexico represented the 
majority and the Senate at this United States-Russian Summit.

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