THE WHITE HOUSE
  
                     Office of the Press Secretary
  
 For Immediate Release                               June 17, 1992
  
                          JOINT STATEMENT ON
                  SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY COOPERATION
  
 The Presidents of the United States and the Russian Federation
 note with satisfaction their long-standing cooperation in science
 and technology.  Wishing to build on that cooperation, the two
 Presidents declare their intent to promote scientific and
 technological cooperation in areas of mutual benefit and to
 broaden and expand contacts and ties between the scientific and
 technological communities of their countries.
  
 In the new spirit of partnership between their two countries, the
 Presidents underscore the potential of their scientific
 communities to make important contributions to economic
 development and enhancement of the quality of life.  They deem to
 be of cardinal significance efforts underway in both countries to
 convert defense-related industries to civilian purposes and
 stress the desirability of further cooperation in this regard.
 Both sides expressed satisfaction at the progress made in
 establishing the international Science and Technology Center in
 Moscow with its important task of redirecting the talents of
 weapons scientists to peaceful purposes.  Consistent with their
 firm support for democratic and market economic principles. The
 two Presidents recognize the private sector's role in the science
 and technology area and support industry's efforts to seek
 opportunities to acquire goods, services, or technologies that
 benefit economic and security interests.  The two countries will
 promote greater levels of trade and will seek to remove barriers
 to trade in scientific and technological matters.
  
 The two Presidents further declare their intent to advance the
 state of science and technology by broadening and expanding
 contacts and combining the talents and resources of both
 countries.  To this end, the Assistant to the President of the
 United States for Science and Technology and appropriate
 officials of the Russian Federation will meet no later than this
 fall to discuss avenues for expanding cooperation in science and
 technology, the Presidents reaffirm their intent to continue
 cooperation and improved coordination in particular the fields of
 basic sciences; earth and mapping sciences; energy and natural
 resources; peaceful uses of atomic energy; space research for
 peaceful purposes; health; protection of the environment;
 transportation; oceans studies; and agriculture.  They also note
 the importance of continued cooperation in major projects such as
 the superconducting supercollider and the international
 thermonuclear experimental reactor.
  
 The two Presidents assert that their scientific and technological
 relationship shall be governed in particular by the following
 principles of: shared responsibilities, contributions, and
 benefits commensurate with the two countries' respective
 scientific and technological strengths and resources; equitable
 protection and distribution of intellectual property rights
 resulting from joint activities; transparency of policy and
 programs to facilitate identification of opportunities for
 cooperation; comparable access to government-supported and
 government-financed facilities; and the widest permissible
 dissemination of research results and information.
  
 The two Presidents further declare that high-level government
 contacts will be important to setting the direction of future
 scientific and technological cooperation.  They charge the
 Secretary of State on the United States side and the Minister of
 Foreign Affairs on the Russian side to continue to coordinate the
 development of expanded scientific and technological cooperation
 and of appropriate legal arrangements between their two
 countries, in conjunction with the interested governmental bodies
 and agencies.