THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release
June 26, 1996
STATEMENT BY THE PRESS SECRETARY
The President welcomes the release of the Report of the Presidential Advisory Board on Arms
Proliferation Policy. The Board has dedicated more than a year to producing this comprehensive
and thoughtful evaluation of an issue of vital importance to U.S. interests.
The Board's conclusions support the central tenets of this Administration's conventional arms
transfer policy. The Report acknowledges the legitimate role arms transfers play in support of
U.S. and allied security interests, but notes that excessive transfers and lack of transparency can
be highly destabilizing. The Report also notes that effective control of conventional weapons
transfers requires serious multilateral efforts and continued high-level attention.
This Administration has already taken major steps in this area. The President has set forth a set of
comprehensive criteria for the control of conventional arms in order to support transfers that
advance the security of the United States, its friends and allies, while restraining arms transfers
that may be destabilizing or threatening to regional peace and security. At home, we have taken a
number of steps to streamline our own system of export controls. Abroad, the United States has
taken the lead in seeking to establish an effective follow-on regime to COCOM that will advance
transparency in arms transfers, establish serious international controls and promote restraint.
The Administration will be studying the Board's recommendations carefully and take them into
account as it further develops its policy. We believe the Report will contribute greatly to our
efforts to defend American interests and address the dangers of potentially destabilizing arms
races that threaten those interests worldwide.
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