At the opening of the WMD exhibit NATO HQ 9 April 2003

Statement by NATO Secretary General, Lord Robertson Good afternoon. I am pleased to welcome colleagues from NATO HQ and journalists to this unveiling of an exhibition. The presentation which you will see focuses on the theme of Weapons of Mass Destruction – WMD. Proliferation of these types of weapons constitutes a very real threat to global security and stability. Weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery can pose a direct military threat to Allies’ populations, territory, and forces. Non-state actors have shown the potential to create and use these weapons. Over the last three months, we have put together a mural which outlines basic information about this threat, and provides a snapshot of some of the measures to counter this problem. The presentation outlines four main themes: the history of WMD – since the first chemical attacks in the First World War to the present time; this international response to WMD – non-proliferation and arms control instruments, as well as confidence building measures; NATO’s policy towards WMD, and the adoption in 1999 of a major Alliance WMD Initiative to deal with this challenge; and NATO’s action in this area – robust activities which include: enhancing military effectiveness to operate in a WMD environment; measures to protect civil populations; work underway to develop theatre missile defence systems; cooperation with Russia on chemical weapons destruction in that country; Allied support for international non-proliferation regimes; dialogue and cooperation with Partners and Mediterranean Dialogue countries; and science and research to counter the effects of toxic agents. As the presentation will show, the proliferation of WMD is a long-term problem. WMD in Iraq and other countries, nuclear proliferation in North Korea, efforts by terrorist groups to obtain ricin and other toxic material, ballistic missile developments in several countries, illicit trafficking of dual-use material – all of these problems are fundamental challenges to our security in the 21st Century. In the year 2000, we created a NATO WMD Centre – a group of experts in the International Staff to coordinate Alliance efforts to address this challenge. The WMD Centre is involved in supporting NATO’s political and defence efforts, as well as intelligence-sharing and civil emergency planning. One of the objectives of the WMD Centre is to increase public awareness. I would like to thank the Head of the WMD Centre, Ted Whiteside, and his team for preparing this presentation, and also thank the Office of Information and Press for providing the necessary support. I would ask that we open the presentation at this time. So there it is. You will see four panels - from Left to Right – the history of WMD, the International Response, NATO policy in this area, and NATO in action. Along the bottom of the display, you will see a chronological outline of some of the main events in the history of WMD over the last century. I invite you to spend a moment looking at this work. It is part of our overall efforts to develop a balanced picture of this problem, so that the general public understands what the Alliance is doing in this area. Thank you very much.