[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George H. W. Bush (1992, Book I)]
[July 13, 1992]
[Pages 1110-1111]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Statement on Nuclear Nonproliferation Efforts

July 13, 1992
    A few weeks ago, President Boris Yeltsin and I agreed to the most 
far-reaching reductions in nuclear weaponry since the dawn of the atomic 
age. Yet even as our own arsenals diminish, the spread of the capability 
to produce or acquire weapons of mass destruction and the means to 
deliver them constitutes a growing threat to U.S. national security 
interests and world peace. In a world in which regional tensions may 
unpredictably erupt into war, these weapons could have devastating 
consequences.
    That is why this administration has fought so hard to stem the 
proliferation of these terrible weapons. We look back with pride on a 
solid record of accomplishment. Membership in the Nuclear Non-
Proliferation Treaty has grown. The Missile Technology Control Regime 
and Australia Group have broadened their membership and expanded their 
controls against trade useful to the development of missiles and 
chemical and biological weapons. We have toughened our nonproliferation 
export controls, and other nations have followed suit. We have seen 
remarkable progress in building and strengthening regional arms control 
arrangements in Latin America, the Korean Peninsula, and the Middle 
East.
    Yet we need to do more. The demand for these weapons persists, and 
new suppliers of key technologies are emerging. Export controls alone 
cannot create an airtight seal against proliferation. In an era of 
advancing technology and trade liberalization, we need to employ the 
full range of political, security, intelligence, and other tools at our 
disposal.
    Therefore, I have set forth today a set of principles to guide our 
nonproliferation efforts in the years ahead and directed a number of 
steps to supplement our existing efforts. These steps include a decision 
not to produce plutonium and highly enriched uranium for nuclear 
explosive purposes and a number of proposals to strengthen international 
actions against those who contribute to the spread of weapons of mass 
destruction and the missiles that deliver them.
    While these steps will strengthen the bar-

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riers against proliferation, success will require hard work and, at 
times, hard choices. The United States, however, is committed to take a 
leading role in the international effort to thwart the spread of 
technologies and weapons that cast a cloud over our future.