On Wassenaar Arrangement Plenary

Unofficial translation from Russian

PRESS RELEASE

A regular plenary meeting of the Wassenaar Arrangement on Export Controls for Conventional Arms and Dual-Use Goods and Technology (WA) has been held in Vienna.

The objective of this multilateral mechanism (established in 1996 with the participation of Russia) is to promote international and regional stability and security by ensuring greater responsibility and transparence in transfers of conventional arms and dual-use goods and technology and thus preventing the origination of their destabilizing accumulations.

The participants welcomed United Nations Security Council resolution 1540 on nonproliferation and expressed their readiness to respond to the appeals of the chairman of Committee 1540, in particular, concerning assistance with the establishment and improvement of systems of export control to states which will ask for such help.

The delegations reiterated their intention to build on their efforts to stop arms and sensitive goods from falling into the hands of terrorists and in this context exchanged information on the measures being taken at the national level following the decisions of 2003 to toughen up on man-portable air defense systems (MANPADS) control.

They called upon other states to follow the principles worked out in the WA so as to prevent the proliferation of this dangerous weapon.

A number of additions and changes to the WA checklists were approved.

A decision to admit Slovenia to the Wassenaar Arrangement was adopted by consensus. The delegations agreed to intensify the work with nonpartners, other export control regimes and regional organizations.

The Russian side positively assesses the results of the plenary meeting and is ready to continue making its weighty contribution to raising the effectiveness of the work of the WA and universalizing the mechanisms of export control in the interest of promoting international security and stability.

December 24, 2004