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WASHINGTON: Iran, North Korea and Russia still are among the world’s biggest violators of international arms control agreements but Libya is a poster child for reform, according to a US State Department report on Tuesday.
In an unclassified version of a “noncompliance report”, the State Department urged tough action against countries violating arms control, nonproliferation and disarmament agreements.
“Particularly in a post-9/11 world in which there exists a very real threat of weapons of mass destruction being used as weapons of terror, it is vital that the international community take all steps necessary to end noncompliance,” the report said, referring to the attacks on Sept 11, 2001.
The report, which was sent to members of Congress, did not specify what actions should be taken but a senior State Department official said the United States was discussing the report with a variety of countries that she declined to name.
The report was prepared in three versions - a watered-down unclassified one for public consumption, another labeled “secret” and a third marked “top secret” for a very small number of government officials.
The United States was strongly criticised for the intelligence it used to justify invading Iraq in 2003. The reason given was to eradicate weapons of mass destruction but none have been found in Iraq.
The State Department defended information in its report.
“It’s fashionable to knock the compliance process in the wake of Iraq ... but we have gotten it right more than we have gotten it wrong,” said one State Department official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The State Department official called North Korea a “full service” violator of international weapons agreements and repeated US concerns about Iran’s nuclear programme.
Talks have broken down between Iran and the European Union over Iran’s nuclear plans after Iran rejected an offer of incentives in return for a suspension of sensitive nuclear work. North Korea held six-party talks aimed at dismantling its nuclear weapons this month but a new date has not yet been formally set for the resumption of those discussions, which include the United States.
While wagging a finger at countries such as Iran and North Korea, the report praised Libya for its December 2003 decision to give up its weapons of mass destruction programme.
“This gives us a model (for how countries can change),” said the senior State Department official. The United States is close to resuming full diplomatic relations with Libya and the two countries are expected to exchange ambassadors in the coming months. Of particular concern in the report were violators of the 1972 Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention.
The report said North Korea could probably produce sufficient quantities of biological agents for military purposes while Russia had an offensive biological weapons programme in violation of the convention
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In an unclassified version of a “noncompliance report”, the State Department urged tough action against countries violating arms control, nonproliferation and disarmament agreements.
“Particularly in a post-9/11 world in which there exists a very real threat of weapons of mass destruction being used as weapons of terror, it is vital that the international community take all steps necessary to end noncompliance,” the report said, referring to the attacks on Sept 11, 2001.
The report, which was sent to members of Congress, did not specify what actions should be taken but a senior State Department official said the United States was discussing the report with a variety of countries that she declined to name.
The report was prepared in three versions - a watered-down unclassified one for public consumption, another labeled “secret” and a third marked “top secret” for a very small number of government officials.
The United States was strongly criticised for the intelligence it used to justify invading Iraq in 2003. The reason given was to eradicate weapons of mass destruction but none have been found in Iraq.
The State Department defended information in its report.
“It’s fashionable to knock the compliance process in the wake of Iraq ... but we have gotten it right more than we have gotten it wrong,” said one State Department official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The State Department official called North Korea a “full service” violator of international weapons agreements and repeated US concerns about Iran’s nuclear programme.
Talks have broken down between Iran and the European Union over Iran’s nuclear plans after Iran rejected an offer of incentives in return for a suspension of sensitive nuclear work. North Korea held six-party talks aimed at dismantling its nuclear weapons this month but a new date has not yet been formally set for the resumption of those discussions, which include the United States.
While wagging a finger at countries such as Iran and North Korea, the report praised Libya for its December 2003 decision to give up its weapons of mass destruction programme.
“This gives us a model (for how countries can change),” said the senior State Department official. The United States is close to resuming full diplomatic relations with Libya and the two countries are expected to exchange ambassadors in the coming months. Of particular concern in the report were violators of the 1972 Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention.
The report said North Korea could probably produce sufficient quantities of biological agents for military purposes while Russia had an offensive biological weapons programme in violation of the convention
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