Lugar statement on McCain nonproliferation speech

Lugar statement on McCain nonproliferation speech

U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Ranking Member Dick Lugar made the following statement today regarding Sen. John McCain's speech on Nonproliferation:

"Today Senator McCain articulated a change of course for the United States on arms control and nonproliferation. I am pleased that Senator McCain would make achieving these arms control goals a priority. Senator McCain has affirmed his intent to work with Congress and the international community to aggressively address the existential threats posed by nuclear, chemical and biological weapons and materials. He states that direct dialogue with Russia and China must focus on a treaty-based strategy, with strong, legally-binding verification measures, to continue to reduce nuclear arsenals around the world. He correctly identifies the expansion of the Nunn-Lugar Program as critical to U.S. arms control efforts. Equally important he cites the need to improve the abilities of the International Atomic Energy Agency to detect illegal weapons programs, strengthen the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, and construct a nuclear fuel bank to address the spread of dangerous enrichment and reprocessing technologies. The determined pursuit of these goals by the next President would yield vital national security benefits for the United States."

More information on Nunn-Lugar can be found at: http://lugar.senate.gov/nunnlugar/index.cfm. More information on the Nuclear Fuel Bank can be found at: http://lugar.senate.gov/press/record.cfm?id=280065&&.