    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George H. W. Bush (1991, Book I)]
    [March 7, 1991]
    [Page 223]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    [[Page 223]]

    White House Statement on Weapons of Mass Destruction
    March 7, 1991

        The United States has taken a major step in its continuing efforts
    to halt the spread of weapons of mass destruction with the issuance of
    regulations extending export controls over chemicals, equipment, and
    other assistance that can contribute to the spread of missiles and
    chemical and biological weapons.
        Saddam Hussein's use of chemical weapons against his own citizens,
    his use of Scud missiles to terrorize civilian populations, and the
    chilling specter of germ warfare and nuclear weapons have brought home
    the dangers proliferation poses to American interests and global peace
    and stability.
        Our continuing efforts to stem the spread of weapons of mass
    destruction will contribute to the construction of a new world order.
    The new regulations will enhance our ability to head off these dangers
    so that in the future we will not be forced to confront them militarily
    as we have in Iraq. At the same time, the new regulations are sensitive
    to the importance of U.S. exports to our economic vitality and will not
    unfairly restrict legitimate commerce.
        The expanded U.S. export controls apply to equipment, chemicals, and
    whole plants that can be used to manufacture chemical or biological
    weapons, as well as to activities of U.S. exporters or citizens when
    they know or are informed that their efforts will assist in a foreign
    missile or chemical or biological weapon program.
        But the United States cannot do the job alone. Our experience in the
    Gulf has reinforced the lesson that the most effective export controls
    are those imposed multilaterally. The administration has therefore
    initiated vigorous efforts to obtain allied support for chemical and
    biological weapon export controls in the Australia Group, missile export
    controls in the Missile Technology Control Regime, and nuclear export
    controls through consultations with all major nuclear suppliers. These
    efforts will take advantage of the growing international consensus to
    redouble our efforts to stem the spread of weapons of mass destruction.
        The proliferation of weapons of mass destruction may profoundly
    challenge our national security in the 1990's. The new regulations
    issued today and our multilateral initiatives will enhance our ability
    to meet that challenge squarely.

                        Note: The statement referred to President Saddam
                            Hussein of Iraq and to the Australia Group, a
                            multilateral forum of 20 supplier nations
                            committed to restricting the spread of chemical
                            weapons.