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Fewer Countries Today Seeking WMD, Bush Says By Mike Nartker WASHINGTON — Fewer nations today are seeking to acquire weapons of mass destruction, in large part due to the public determination of the United States to prevent proliferation, U.S. President George W. Bush said today (see GSN, June 28). During an appearance at the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge, Tenn., to view recovered Libyan nuclear weapons-related equipment, Bush praised the progress made since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in preventing the spread of unconventional arms. “There are still outlaw regimes pursuing weapons of mass destruction, but the world no longer looks the other way. Today, because America has acted and because America has led, the forces of terror and tyranny have suffered defeat after defeat, and America and the world are safer,” he said. Following Libya’s decision to end its WMD efforts, more than 55,000 pounds of equipment and materials from Tripoli’s nuclear weapons program were shipped early this year to the United States to be safely secured at the Y-12 complex. The recovered equipment, according to reports, included about 4,000 uranium enrichment centrifuges (see GSN, March 16). Upon viewing the recovered materials, Bush praised Libya’s decision to end its WMD programs, saying the move had been reached by both “quiet diplomacy” and the public determination of the United States and its allies to oppose proliferation “with all our power.” “Three years ago, the nation of Libya, a longtime supporter of terror, was spending millions to acquire chemical and nuclear weapons. Today, thousands of Libya's chemical munitions have been destroyed, and nuclear processing equipment that could ultimately have threatened the lives of hundreds of thousands is stored away right here in Oak Ridge, Tenn. Today, because the Libyan government saw the seriousness of the civilized world and correctly judged its own interests, the American people are safer,” Bush said. To date, the Bush administration has responded to Libya’s disarmament efforts with several measures intended to help restore relations, such as the end to most economic sanctions against Tripoli. The latest move came late last month when the United States opened a liaison office in Tripoli, restoring direct diplomatic ties with Libya after almost 25 years (see GSN, June 29). Bush today also praised the progress being made in eliminating the international nuclear network revealed by top Pakistani scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan, who confessed to transferring nuclear weapons-related technology to Libya, Iran and North Korea (see GSN, June 23). “Today, the A.Q. Khan network is out of business. We have ended one of the most dangerous sources of proliferation in the world, and the American people are safer,” Bush said.
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