THE WHITE HOUSE
  
                     Office of the Press Secretary
  
 For Immediate Release                               June 17, 1992
  
                          COCOM ISSUES
  
 Russia is embarking on a path toward democratic reform and economic
 integration with the West. In light of this welcome change, the
 Administration recently proposed the establishment of an informal COCOM
 Cooperation Forum on Export Controls.  COCOM partners agreed at the June
 1 High-Level Meeting to establish such a Cooperative Forum.  Russia and
 the other new states of the former Soviet Union will be invited to
 participate in this Forum.
  
 COCOM Cooperation Forum
  
 The Forum's purpose is to extend our cooperation and dialogue with Russia
 and other reforming countries to the important area of export controls, as
 well as to assist these countries in developing effective safeguards
 regimes of their own.
  
 The goals of the new COCOM Forum mirror new strategic relationships,
 particularly with Russia and the other republics of the former Soviet
 Union. These goals include:
  
      -    significantly wider access by those countries to
           advanced Western goods and technology;
  
      -    procedures for ensuring against diversion of these
           sensitive items to military or other unauthorized
           users; and
  
      -    further cooperation on matters of common concern on
           export controls.
  
 Telecommunications Liberalization
  
 The COCOM partners also agreed to an immediate improvement in the
 availability of advanced telecommunications equipment to the new states of
 the former Soviet Union effective July 1, 1992. As these states seek to
 reform and establish closer ties to the economies of the West, better
 telephone, fax and other data networks are clearly needed.  This very
 positive COCOM decision will provide:
  
      --   rapid and reliable telecommunications between the newly
           independent states and the West; and
  
      --   modern, cost-effective domestic telecommunications
           systems.