[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 31, Number 19 (Monday, May 15, 1995)]
[Pages 800-801]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Joint Statement on Nonproliferation

May 10, 1995

    The President of the United States of America, William J. Clinton, 
and the President of the Russian Federation, B.N. Yeltsin, at their 
meeting in Moscow May 9-10, 1995, expressed the strong view that the 
Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) Review and Extension Conference underway 
in New York should decide to make the Treaty permanent. The two leaders 
pledged that the United States and Russia will continue to work to 
ensure the full implementation of the Treaty. In particular, they 
reaffirmed the commitments by the United States of America and the 
Russian Federation, under Article VI of the NPT, to pursue negotiations 
in good faith on effective measures relating to nuclear disarmament, 
which remains their ultimate goal.
    The two Presidents also reaffirmed that the United States and the 
Russian Federation will continue to work together closely to promote 
broad nonproliferation goals. They agreed that, in the newly-established 
bilateral working group on nonproliferation, the two sides would consult 
in a timely manner on issues of mutual concern, including how best to 
fulfill their responsibility to cooperate with other NPT parties in the 
peaceful uses of nuclear energy, while at the same time fulfilling their 
responsibility to avoid risks of proliferation. The leaders recognized

[[Page 801]]

the importance of a responsible approach to the transfer of nuclear-
related material, equipment, and technology and to nuclear-related 
training. In this connection, they reaffirmed their commitments to the 
NPT and to the Nuclear Suppliers Group Guidelines, and in particular to 
the principles that nuclear transfers should take place only under full-
scope International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards and only when 
a supplier is satisfied that such transfers to any non-nuclear weapon 
state would not contribute to the proliferation of nuclear weapons.
    The leaders directed the working group on nonproliferation to 
prepare assessments of proliferation threats in various regions of the 
world, to consider practical means of addressing those threats, to 
assess evidence regarding possible noncompliance with nonproliferation 
commitments, and to report to them periodically on its progress.
    The two Presidents strongly supported the concrete progress recently 
made in their two countries' cooperation in ensuring the security of 
nuclear weapons and nuclear materials that can be used in such weapons. 
They reiterated their call for broad and expanded cooperation on a 
bilateral and multilateral basis, consistent with their international 
obligations, to strengthen national and international regimes of 
control, accounting, and physical protection of nuclear materials, and 
to prevent illegal traffic in nuclear materials. They directed all 
relevant agencies and organizations in their respective countries to 
facilitate in a coordinated manner, effective cooperation to this end.
    They directed that the Gore-Chernomyrdin Commission prepare a joint 
report on steps that have been accomplished and additional steps that 
should be taken to ensure the security of nuclear materials.
    The leaders reaffirmed their strong support for the IAEA and 
reiterated their view that its safeguards program plays a fundamental 
role in the global nuclear nonproliferation regime. They stressed the 
importance of enhancing the IAEA's ability to detect diversions of 
nuclear material and to provide increased assurance of the absence of 
undeclared nuclear activities, in particular through the effort 
currently underway to strengthen the effectiveness and improve the 
efficiency of the safeguards system.
    The Presidents agreed that the formal participation of the Russian 
Federation in the multilateral nonproliferation export control regimes 
would significantly strengthen those regimes as well as broaden the 
basis for cooperation between the two countries on nonproliferation. 
They agreed to direct officials in their respective governments to 
address expeditiously the issues affecting Russian membership in the 
various regimes, with a view to ensuring active U.S. support for Russian 
admission to each of the regimes at the earliest possible date.

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