4 June 2003


US Department of State
International Information Programs

Washington File
_________________________________

Source: http://usinfo.state.gov/cgi-bin/washfile/display.pl?p=/products/washfile/latest&f=03060307.clt&t=/products/washfile/newsitem.shtml

03 June 2003

White House Cites G-8 Action on Aviation Security

(Leaders agree to control exports of shoulder-launched missiles) (310)

The White House has issued a fact sheet describing an agreement on
commercial aviation security made at the June 1-3 G-8 summit in Evian,
France.

The G-8 comprises Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the
United Kingdom and the United States.

Following is the fact sheet:

(begin fact sheet)

THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
(Evian, France)

June 2, 2003

FACT SHEET

Enhancing Commercial Aviation Security

Presidential Action

-- Today, President Bush and the other G-8 Leaders endorsed a
U.S.-driven plan to counter the threat to civil aviation posed by
shoulder-launched missiles, or Man-Portable Air Defense Systems
(MANPADS).

The Threat: The unsuccessful missile attack on an Israeli commercial
airliner in Mombasa, Kenya, in November 2002 was a stark reminder of
the threat posed by terrorists possessing MANPADS. MANPADS are widely
available on black or gray markets around the world. Even an
unsuccessful attack on a commercial airliner would have a devastating
economic and political impact.

G-8 Response: Today, G-8 Leaders agreed to Cooperative Action to
Enhance Transport Security and Control of MANPADS and will:

-- Adopt strict national controls over inventories and exports of
MANPADS and key components;

-- Ban transfers of MANPADS to non-state end-users;

-- Help countries that wish to dispose of excess MANPADS stocks but
lack the means to do so;

-- Exchange information on countries that are not cooperating to
control stockpiles of these weapons;

-- Examine development of technical performance or launch control
features that would preclude unauthorized use of newly produced
MANPADS.

Other U.S. Action: The United States is also addressing MANPADS
proliferation with the 33 nations of the Wassenaar Arrangement, which
promotes international transparency and responsibility in the transfer
of conventional arms, as well as bilaterally with key countries of
concern.

(end fact sheet)

(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)


Source: http://usinfo.state.gov/cgi-bin/washfile/display.pl?p=/products/washfile/latest&f=03060208.clt&t=/products/washfile/newsitem.shtml

02 June 2003

G-8 to Take Further Steps to Enhance Transportation Security

(World powers target portable missiles, high-risk containers) (1520)

The Group of Eight (G-8) industrial countries have agreed to
strengthen a regime established to counter the threat to civil
aviation posed by portable surface-to-air missiles and asked other
nations to take similar steps.

Leaders of Canada, Germany, France, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United
Kingdom and the United States said the measures they intend to
implement to prevent the missiles known as Man-Portable Air Defence
Systems -- or Manpads -- from falling into terrorist hands include
stricter export controls, stronger national regulation of production,
transfer and brokering, and a ban on transfers to non-state users.

Growing concern that Manpads could be used by terrorists against
airliners has increased since alleged al-Qaida operatives used such a
missile against an Israeli plane taking off in Kenya in November.

In an action plan announced June 2 at the G-8 summit in Evian, France,
the heads of states said they also intend to provide technical
assistance to non-G-8 countries for safeguarding Manpads surpluses.

In addition they called for developing effective aviation security
quality control systems including possible screening of all staff in
restricted airport areas and installation of on-board TV monitoring
systems.

In the area of maritime security the G-8 leaders expressed their full
support for the Container Security Initiative (CSI) being implemented
in ports around the world by the U.S. Customs Service. They said they
believe their support will encourage other countries and ports to join
the initiative, which aims to prevent terrorists from smuggling their
agents and/or weapons of mass destruction into the United States.

Under bilateral agreements between the United States and its trading
partners, U.S. Customs agents are placed in foreign ports to identify
high-risk cargo containers for inspection by local customs officials.
Trade unions and port stakeholders in some countries have criticized
the measure for giving an unfair advantage to certain ports over the
others, according to news reports.

Following is the text of the action plan:

(begin text)

ENHANCE TRANSPORT SECURITY AND 
CONTROL OF MAN-PORTABLE AIR DEFENCE SYSTEMS (MANPADS) 
A G8 ACTION PLAN

We, the G8 Leaders, are determined to strengthen our joint efforts to
curb terrorist threats against mass transportation. We shall continue
to implement the Action Plan we agreed at Kananaskis to ensure safe,
secure, efficient and reliable transportation world-wide. We have made
important progress in implementing the plan and also have taken a
number of new measures.

The scope of our endeavours in this field covers five areas:

1. Manpads 
2. Air transport 
3. People 
4. Container security 
5. Sea transport
1. Control of Manpads

1.1. At the Birmingham Summit in 1998, we recognised the threat posed
to civil aviation by the criminal use of Man-Portable Air Defence
Systems (Manpads) and called for further work to be done to address
this problem. At Kananaskis, we agreed to promote transport security
in the light of the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001.

1.2. Today, at Evian, we reiterate our deep concern about the threat
posed to civil aviation by Manpads, especially in the hands of
terrorists or States that harbour them.

1.3. Manpads are surface-to-air missile systems specially designed to
be carried and fired by a single individual. Manpads are portable and
easily concealed, yet capable of potentially catastrophic destruction.
We are therefore implementing national measures to combat such illegal
use of Manpads, and will encourage other States to do so as well.

1.4. Given the increasing number of Manpads in world-wide circulation,
we commit ourselves to reducing their proliferation and call upon all
countries to strengthen control of their Manpads stockpiles.

1.5. In the framework of the Wassenaar Arrangement, "Elements for the
Export Controls of Manpads" were agreed by all 33 participating States
in 2000. This was a valuable step forward. We undertake to promote the
application of the principles defined in these "Elements" by a larger
number of States.

1.6. In addition, we agree to implement the following steps to prevent
the acquisition of Manpads by terrorists:

-- To provide assistance and technical expertise for the collection,
secure stockpile management and destruction of Manpads surplus to
national security requirements;
-- To adopt strict national export controls on Manpads and their
essential components;
-- To ensure strong national regulation of production, transfer and
brokering;
-- To ban transfers of Manpads to non-state end-users; Manpads should
only be exported to foreign governments or to agents authorised by a
government;
-- To exchange information on unco-operative countries and entities;
-- To examine the feasibility of development for new Manpads of
specific technical performance or launch control features that
preclude their unauthorised use;
-- To encourage action in the International Civil Aviation
Organisation (ICAO) Aviation Security (AVSEC) Working Group on
Manpads.

1.7. We agree to exchange information on national measures related to
the implementation of these steps by December 2003. We will review
progress at our next meeting in 2004.

2. Air transport

2.1. Measures already being implemented:

-- Agreement to implement by November 2003 the new international
standards for the installation of flight deck doors, as adopted by
ICAO;
-- Continued support for the implementation of the ICAO Universal
Security Audit Programme of all ICAO Member States. First audits have
been conducted;
-- Increased co-operation on aviation security between us, including
implementation of this Action Plan, using ICAO and other relevant
international organisations. This will strengthen overall standards
across the G8.

2.2. Enhance the air security action plan and develop effective
aviation security quality control systems world-wide:

-- To review security procedures in place to ensure that staff do not
pose a threat to aviation, including, in particular, by examining the
feasibility and benefits of ensuring that all staff and items carried
are screened when they enter critical parts of security-restricted
areas of airports;
-- To encourage further work within ICAO to review and adopt the
measures related to an enhanced threat level for the standard security
procedures;
-- To encourage each of us to adopt and implement as soon as possible
the harmonised and supplementary provisions on flight-deck door
locking issued by the ICAO. Each of us intends to apply these
requirements both to international and domestic flights;
-- To explore experience gained, inter alia, from installation of
on-board TV monitoring systems to control the security inside
passenger aircraft;
-- To co-ordinate aviation security capacity building efforts for
non-G8 countries and to lead in donating funds and advisors to ICAO's
aviation security audit programme (AVSEC).

3. People

3.1. We have developed guidelines for the implementation of
international standards governing the use of biometrics to verify the
identity of travellers and have forwarded them to the ICAO. We endorse
the "G8 Roma and Lyon Groups Statement on Biometric Applications for
International Travel" and are resolved in our continued support for
the ongoing work within ICAO.

3.2. We also agree to develop a secure, verifiable seafarer identity
document at the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and are
working together towards agreeing on seafarers and port workers
security requirements compatible with trade facilitation at the
International Maritime Organisation (IMO) and the ILO.

3.3. We are working together to accelerate the use of the joint World
Customs Organisation (WCO)/ICAO/International Air Transport
Association (IATA) guidelines as a global standard for advance
passenger information, and will work to ensure that other necessary
requirements for passenger information are developed to a global
standard.

4. Container security

4.1. We are working together to reinforce container security
arrangements generally and to develop specifically, within the WCO,
joint standards and guidelines for electronic transmission of customs
data for cargo and a standardised set of data elements to identify
high-risk cargo. We are also working together at the same time to
combine security needs with trade facilitation.

4.2. Our active support of pilot projects that model an integrated
container security regime contributed to the rapid expansion of the
Container Security Initiative (CSI), which is now operational in ten
major international ports, seven of which are in G8 countries. Our
continued support of CSI will encourage rapidly expanding
participation by other ports, further enhancing global container
security. As international security is only as effective as its
weakest link, we support international co-operation in the WCO to
ensure a more co-ordinated approach for all ports handling
international cargo.

5. Sea transport

5.1. At Kananaskis, we agreed to support in the IMO amendments to the
International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea that require
mandatory ship security plans, on-board ship security officers,
mandatory port facility security plans and port facility security
assessments for relevant ports serving ships engaged on international
voyages, to be included during the development of an International
Ship and Port Facility Security Code by July 2004.

5.2. In December 2002, the IMO adopted these amendments which also
provide for the fitting of Automatic Identification Systems on ships
by 31 December 2004. We support the implementation of measures in this
sphere as agreed at our 2002 Summit.

(end text)

(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)