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The United States views with “serious concern” Syria`s expanding weapons of mass destruction (WMD) capabilities and its continued state sponsorship of terrorism, the State Department`s top arms control official says.
Testifying September 16 before a House International Relations subcommittee, Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security John Bolton said Syria also has taken “a series of hostile actions” toward Coalition forces in Iraq.
He said Syria allowed military equipment to flow into Iraq on the eve of and during the war, and has “permitted volunteers to pass into Iraq to attack and kill our service members during the war, and is still doing so.
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“Although Damascus has increased its cooperation regarding Iraq since the fall of the Iraqi regime,” the under secretary said, “its behavior during Operation Iraqi Freedom underscores the importance of taking seriously reports and information on Syria`s WMD capabilities.”
Referring to press reports that Iraq covertly transferred weapons of mass destruction to Syria in an attempt to hide them from U.N. inspectors, Bolton said the United States sees the reports “as cause for concern,” but has thus far been unable to confirm them. “We are continuing ... to seek conclusive evidence,” he said, and have raised the issue with the Syrians “on numerous occasions.
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Bolton said the United States is concerned about Syria`s nuclear research and development program and continues to watch for any signs of nuclear weapons activity. He noted that Syria has not yet signed the International Atomic Energy Agency`s Additional Protocol, which strengthens the IAEA`s investigative powers to verify compliance with nuclear safeguards, adding: “We believe the Additional Protocol should be a new minimal standard for countries to demonstrate their nonproliferation bona fides.”
He said Syria has “one of the most advanced Arab state chemical weapons capabilities” and is continuing to develop an offensive biological weapons capability.
In addition, Syria has “a combined total of several hundred Scud and SS-21 SRBMs [short-range ballistic missiles], and is believed to have chemical warheads available for a portion of its Scud missile force.”
Commenting on the Syria Accountability Act -- legislation proposed by members of Congress to impose restrictions on the export of U.S. goods to Syria, Bolton said that existing sanctions laws and an Executive Order promulgated in 1994 already provide “a broad mandate” for the administration to use sanctions to deter proliferation activity by rogue states and serial proliferators.
He stressed that nonproliferation standards “are all too often ignored and flagrantly violated” by governments seeking WMD as a means of enhancing their security and international influence, and “many of these governments are resistant to conventional diplomatic dialogue.”
“While we pursue the diplomatic track whenever possible, the United States and its allies must be willing to deploy more robust techniques, such as economic sanctions, as well as interdiction and seizure, or other means,” he said. “The pursuit of WMD and ballistic missile delivery systems, especially by state sponsors of terrorism, must be neither cost-free nor successful.
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Bolton called interdiction efforts “key to a comprehensive nonproliferation strategy.” He cited in particular the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) announced by President Bush in May – “a global multilateral arrangement to seize sensitive cargoes that may be in transit to and from states and non-state actors of proliferation concern.”
He said the United States and 10 other countries reached agreement in Paris September 4 on a Statement of Interdiction Principles, which "represents the shared political commitment of these countries to strengthen efforts to combat the proliferation threat.
“The United States welcomes support for the PSI Principles of all states that share our concerns about proliferation and our resolve to take new and active measures to defeat this threat.” |
