[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1995, Book I)]
[May 10, 1995]
[Pages 671-672]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Joint Statement on the Transparency and Irreversibility of the Process 
of Reducing Nuclear Weapons
May 10, 1995

    The President of the United States of America and the President of 
the Russian Federation,
    After examining the exchange of views which took place during the 
December 1994 meeting of the Gore-Chernomyrdin Commission in regard to 
the aggregate stockpiles of nuclear warheads, stocks of fissile 
materials, and their safety and security, as well as a discussion of the 
Joint Working Group on Nuclear Safeguards, Transparency and 
Irreversibility of further measures to improve confidence in and 
increase the transparency and irreversibility of the process of reducing 
nuclear weapons,
    Reaffirm the commitment of the United States of America and the 
Russian Federation to the goal of nuclear disarmament and their desire 
to pursue further measures to improve confidence in and increase the 
transparency and irreversibility of the process of nuclear arms 
reduction, as they agreed in January and September 1994;
    Reaffirm the desire of the United States of America and the Russian 
Federation to exchange detailed information on aggregate stockpiles of 
nuclear warheads, on stocks of fissile materials and on their safety and 
security and to develop a process for exchange of this information on a 
regular basis; and
    Express the desire of the United States of America and the Russian 
Federation to establish as soon as possible concrete arrangements for 
enhancing transparency and irreversibility of the process of nuclear 
arms reduction.
    Taking into account the proposal by President B.N. Yeltsin for a 
treaty on nuclear safety and

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strategic stability among the five nuclear powers, they declare that:
    --Fissile materials removed from nuclear weapons being eliminated 
        and excess to national security requirements will not be used to 
        manufacture nuclear weapons;
    --No newly produced fissile materials will be used in nuclear 
        weapons; and
    --Fissile materials from or within civil nuclear programs will not 
        be used to manufacture nuclear weapons.
    The United States of America and the Russian Federation will 
negotiate agreements to increase the transparency and irreversibility of 
nuclear arms reduction that, inter alia, establish:
    --An exchange on a regular basis of detailed information on 
        aggregate stockpiles of nuclear warheads, on stocks of fissile 
        materials and on their safety and security;
    --A cooperative arrangements for reciprocal monitoring at storage 
        facilities of fissile materials removed from nuclear warheads 
        and declared to be excess to national security requirements to 
        help confirm the irreversibility of the process of reducing 
        nuclear weapons, recognizing that progress in this area is 
        linked to progress in implementing the joint U.S.-Russian 
        program for the fissile material storage facility at Mayak; and
    --Other cooperative measures, as necessary to enhance confidence in 
        the reciprocal declarations of fissile material stockpiles.
    The United States of America and the Russian Federation will strive 
to conclude as soon as possible agreements which are based on these 
principles.
    The United States of America and the Russian Federation will also 
examine and seek to define further measures to increase the transparency 
and irreversibility of the process of reducing nuclear weapons, 
including intergovernmental arrangements to extend cooperation to 
further phases of the process of eliminating nuclear weapons declared 
excess to national security requirements as a result of nuclear arms 
reduction.
    The Presidents urged progress in implementing current agreements 
affecting the irreversibility of the process of reducing nuclear weapons 
such as the June 23, 1994, agreement concerning the shutdown of 
plutonium production reactors and the cessation of use of newly produced 
plutonium for nuclear weapons, in all its interrelated provisions, 
including, inter alia, cooperation in creation of alternative energy 
sources, shutdown of plutonium production reactors mentioned above, and 
development of respective compliance procedures.
    The United States of America and the Russian Federation will seek to 
conclude in the shortest possible time an agreement for cooperation 
between their governments enabling the exchange of information as 
necessary to implement the arrangements called for above, by providing 
for the protection of that information. No information will be exchanged 
until the respective arrangements enter into force.

Note: An original was not available for verification of the content of 
this joint statement.