Strategic Stability Cooperation Initiative

President William Jefferson Clinton of the UnitedStates of America and President Vladimir Putin of the Russian Federationmet today in New York and agreed on a Strategic Stability Cooperation Initiativeas a constructive basis for strengthening trust between the two sides andfor further development of agreed measures to enhance strategic stabilityand to counter the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, missilesand missile technologies worldwide. In furtherance of this initiative,the two Presidents approved an implementation plan developed by their expertsas a basis for continuing this work.

The Strategic Stability Cooperation Initiativebuilds on the Presidents' agreement in their two previous meetings. TheJoint Statement on Principles of Strategic Stability, adopted in Moscowon June 4, 2000, and the Joint Statement on Cooperation on Strategic Stability,adopted in Okinawa on July 21, 2000, establish a constructive basis forprogress in further reducing nuclear weapons arsenals, preserving and strengtheningthe ABM Treaty, and confronting new challenges to international security.The United States and Russia reaffirm their commitment to the ABM Treatyas a cornerstone of strategic stability. The United States and Russia intendto implement the provisions of the START I and INF Treaties, to seek earlyentry into force of the START II Treaty and its related Protocol, the 1997New York agreements on ABM issues and the Comprehensive Nuclear Test BanTreaty, and to work towards the early realization of the 1997 HelsinkiJoint Statement on Parameters on Future Reductions in Nuclear Forces. TheUnited States and Russia also intend to seek new forms of cooperation inthe area of non-proliferation of missiles and missile technologies witha view to strengthening international security and maintaining strategicstability within the framework of the Strategic Stability Cooperation Initiativebetween our two countries.

The Strategic Stability Cooperation Initiativecould include, along with expansion of existing programs, new initiativesaimed at strengthening the security of our two countries and of the entireworld community and without prejudice to the security of any state.

START III Treaty and ABM Treaty. The United Statesand Russia have presented their approaches to the principal provisionsof the START III Treaty and on ABM issues. The United States and Russiahave held intensified discussions on further reductions in strategic offensiveforces within the framework of a future START III Treaty and on ABM issues,with a view to initiating negotiations expeditiously, in accordance withthe Moscow Joint Statement of September 2, 1998, the Cologne Joint Statementof June 20, 1999 and the Okinawa Joint Statement of July 21, 2000 by thetwo Presidents. They will seek to agree upon additional measures to strengthenstrategic stability and confidence, and to ensure predictability in themilitary field.

NPT, CTBT, FMCT, BWC and Nuclear Weapon-FreeZones. The United States and Russia reaffirm their commitment to the Treatyon the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons as the foundation of the internationalnuclear non-proliferation and nuclear disarmament regime.

The United States and Russia will seek to ensureearly entry into force and effective implementation of the ComprehensiveNuclear Test Ban Treaty. They will continue to work to begin negotiationsto conclude a Fissile Material Cutoff Treaty and to strengthen the BiologicalWeapons Convention. They will continue to facilitate the establishmentof nuclear weapon-free zones in the world, based on voluntary agreementsamong states in the relevant region, consistent with the relevant 1999Report of the United Nations Disarmament Commission, as an important avenuefor efforts to prevent nuclear weapons proliferation.

Discussions of issues related to the threat ofproliferation of missiles and missile technology. The United States andRussia are prepared to expand their discussions of issues related to thethreat of proliferation of missiles and missile technologies. These discussionswill include annual briefings based on assessments of factors and eventsrelated to ballistic and cruise missile proliferation. Annual assessmentswill address potential threats to international security. With a view topreventing the proliferation of missiles and weapons of mass destruction,political and diplomatic measures will be discussed and undertaken, usingbilateral and multilateral mechanisms.

Cooperation in the area of Theater Missile Defense.The United States and Russia are prepared to resume and then expand cooperationin the area of Theater Missile Defense (TMD), and also to consider thepossibility of involving other states, with a view to strengthening globaland regional stability.

The sides will consider as specific areas ofsuch cooperation:

     Expansion of the bilateralprogram of joint TMD command and staff exercises.
     Possibility of involvingother states in joint TMD command and staff exercises.
     Possibility of developmentof methods for enhanced interaction for joint use of TMD systems.
     Joint development ofconcepts for possible cooperation in TMD systems.
     Possibility of reciprocalinvitation of observers to actual firings of TMD systems.

Early warning information. The United Statesand Russia, in implementation of the Memorandum of Agreement between theUnited States of America and the Russian Federation on the Establishmentof a Joint Center for the Exchange of Data from Early Warning Systems andNotification of Missile Launches signed in Moscow on June 4, 2000, intendto establish and put into operation in Moscow within a year the joint centerfor exchange of data to preclude the possibility of missile launches causedby a false missile attack warning. The Parties will also make efforts tocome to an early agreement on a regime for exchanging notifications ofmissile launches, consistent with the statement of the Presidents at Okinawaon July 21, 2000.

Missile Non-Proliferation measures. The UnitedStates and Russia intend to strengthen the Missile Technology Control Regime.They declare their commitment to seek new avenues of cooperation with aview to limiting proliferation of missiles and missile technologies. Consistentwith the July 21, 2000, Joint Statement of the Presidents at Okinawa, theywill work together with other states on a new mechanism to integrate, interalia, the Russian proposal for a Global Control System for Non-Proliferationof Missiles and Missile Technologies (GCS), the U.S. proposal for a missilecode of conduct, as well as the MTCR.

Confidence and transparency-building measures.Bearing in mind their obligations under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferationof Nuclear Weapons, the United States and Russia will seek to expand cooperationrelatedto the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) to promote a mutuallybeneficial technical exchange that will facilitate the implementation ofthe CTBT after its entry into force. The United States and Russia are preparedto discuss confidence and transparency-building measures as an elementof facilitating compliance with, preserving and strengthening the ABM Treaty.These measures could include: data exchanges, pre-notifications of plannedevents, voluntary demonstrations, participation in observations, organizationof exhibitions, and strengthening the ABM Treaty compliance verificationprocess.

The Presidents of the United States and Russiahave agreed that officials from the relevant ministries and agencies willmeet annually to coordinate their activities in this area, and look forwardwith interest to such a meeting in the near future.

The United States and Russia call upon all nationsof the world to unite their efforts to strengthen strategic stability.


STRATEGIC STABILITY COOPERATIONINITIATIVE IMPLEMENTATION PLAN

• Discussions of issues related to the threat of proliferationof missiles and missile technologies

The U.S. will brief Russia on the update ofthe National Intelligence Estimate of the ballistic missile threat thathas just been completed, and Russia will provide its latest assessment.

• Cooperation in the area of Theater Missile Defense

The United States and Russia agreed to conducta U.S.-Russian planning and simulation exercise in February, 2001 at ColoradoSprings, Colorado and a U.S.-Russian field training exercise at Fort Bliss,Texas by late 2001 or early 2002. Planning meetings for the 2001 exercisewill continue in Moscow in September and November-December at the JointNational Test Facility in Colorado Springs. Joint TMD exercise expert talkswill also discuss the possibility of reciprocal invitation of observersto actual firings of TMD systems.

• Early warning information

By the end of this fall, the United States andRussia expect to begin preparation of the Moscow site for the Joint DataExchange Center (JDEC) and begin renovation of the building that will housethe center, as well as begin drafting concept of operations and standardoperating procedures documents. The United States and Russia intend tocommence operations at the JDEC in June of 2001, with full operations tobegin in September 2001. Regular meetings of working groups under the JointCommission will take place in coming months.

The United States and Russia have agreed to setas an objective the completion of a bilateral agreement on a pre-launchnotification system for launches of ballistic missiles and space launchvehicles by the APEC summit in November, while also reaching agreementon how the system will be opened up to the voluntary participation of allinterested countries. They will meet to intensify negotiations in September.

• Missile Non-Proliferation measures

The United States and Russia will work to reachconsensus among MTCR partners at the October 9-13 Plenary, as well as withother countries, on plans for a global missile non-proliferation approach.

• Confidence and transparency-building measures

Experts will meet this fall to review and approveadditional warhead safety and security issues for expanded cooperationrelated to the CTBT. Experts will meet before the end of this year to considerexpanded cooperation in the area of computations, experiments and materials.Experts in CTBT monitoring and verification will be scheduled to meet inlate 2000 or early 2001 to consider expanded cooperation in this area.