Nuclear non-proliferation, arms limitation, arms control, deterrence, international security, de-militarization ...civilian and government agencies alike have wrestled with how to define and resolve issues of possession and use of nuclear weapons. The issues involve power struggles over which nation can wield the biggest gun: who can have nuclear weapons; how many; how powerful; who decides; and how decisions can be enforced. The last few years have been a time of unprecedented success in arms control. Over this period, we have seen the cornerstone of our efforts to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons - the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) being an example of this. A significant step towards reducing the armament of the Cold War was taken when START II was ratified by the US Senate. The signing of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) ended the era of nuclear explosive testing, a goal that had been sought for more than forty years and, most recently, President Clinton and President Yeltsin agreed on a framework for START (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty) III after START II enters into force. Despite this string of successes, the world remains a dangerous place. The spread of technology has made it possible for dozens of States, many of whom view the United States as an enemy, to seek nuclear, biological or chemical weapons capability.
             We the Russian Federation need assistance in arms reduction and we are confident of its future as have the backing of Mr. Blair, who has committed £12 million over the next three years to assist us with the destruction of our chemical weapons stockpile. Mr. Blair also met with President Putin at the G8 summit in Okinawa, Japan, where they discussed a method of disposing of our stockpile of plutonium and 40, 000 chemical weapons. As well as success with Britain, president Putin is also making very good progress with the US. The 16th June meeting in Slovenia between US president George. W. B...