UNifeed: GENEVA / US BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS

GENEVA / US BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS

Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Ellen Taucher unveils the new Obama administration's policy on biological weapons. UNTV

Duration:01:40Date:09 December 2009

Categories:

United Nations Television, POLITICAL AND LEGAL QUESTIONS, INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS, MAINTENANCE OF PEACE AND SECURITY, UNITED STATES

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Full Script

STORY: GENEVA / US BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS
TRT: 1.40
SOURCE: UNTV
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: 9 DECEMBER 2009, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND

SHOTLIST:

1. Wide shot, Palais des Nations
2. Wide shot, Biological Weapons Convention Review Conference meeting Room
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Ellen Tauscher, Under-Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security, United States:
“The Obama administration will not seek to revive negotiations on a verification protocol to the Convention. We have carefully reviewed previous efforts to develop a verification protocol and have determined that a legally binding protocol would not achieve meaningful verification or greater security. It is extraordinarily difficult to verify compliance. The ease with which a biological weapons program could be disguised within legitimate activities, and the rapid advances in biological research make it very difficult to detect violations. We believe that a protocol would not be able to keep pace with the rapidly changing nature of the biological weapons threat.”
4. Wide shot, meeting
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Ellen Tauscher, Under-Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security, United States:
“In order to implement our article ten commitments, it is critical that we work together to achieve, sustain and improve international capacity to detect, report and respond to outbreaks of disease, whether deliberate, accidental or natural. This includes implementation of the World Health Organization's International Health Regulations. Fundamentally, if we improve a country's ability to respond to natural outbreaks, we have improved their capability to deal with bioterrorism.”
6. Wide shot, meeting

STORYLINE:

The new United States (U.S.) administration will not change the country's policy on biological weapons monitoring negotiations.

Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security, Ellen Tauscher said the Obama government will not negotiate a verification protocol.

Tauscher outlined the U.S. policy today in Geneva at a meeting of states that have signed the 1972 biological weapons convention.

The senior disarmament official said the U.S. wanted to strengthen the convention because of growing threats of bioterrorism and pandemic disease; it would continue to respect its commitments not to develop, acquire, produce or posses biological weapons, Tauscher said.

But the U.S. would retain its position against inspection negotiations, given the difficulties in monitoring compliance.

Tauscher said a biological weapons program could be disguised within legitimate activities and the rapid advances in biological research make it difficult to detect violations.

She advocated a rigorous program of cooperation and information exchange stating that enhanced transparency would promote confidence in compliance.

The Under Secretary of State spoke of the growing danger posed by bioterrorism.

To combat it, she called for increased cooperation to "achieve, sustain and improve" international capacity to detect, report and respond to all outbreaks of disease.

Tauscher said improving a country's ability to respond to natural outbreaks would improve the ability to deal with bioterrorism.

One-hundred-and-sixty countries have ratified the Biological Weapons Convention committing not to develop, stockpile or use biological weapons and agreeing to promote the peaceful uses of biological technology.

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