John Manley, Canadian Foreign Minister
Canadian Foreign Minister John Manley urged Washington to respect arms treaties, in particular the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty (ABM), which would have to be altered or re-negotiated if the missile shield takes shape. "We have been urging the United States to be very consultative with its partners, allies in NATO and with Russia and China before being firmly committed to proceeding with ballistic missile defence." (18 July 2001, Reuters, "U.S. Missile Plan Dominates Pre-G8 Talks")

John Manley, Canadian Foreign Minister
"We have indicated that the rules-based system of arms control is a very important characteristic for Canada ... We are urging the United States to work with Russia to evolve the ABM treaty if it is necessary to do so. But that they not move unilaterally to abrogate or violate ABM." (25 June 2001, Reuters, "Canada Wants More Details on U.S. Missile Plan")

Laurie Brereton, Australian Labor Party Foreign Affairs Spokesman
"Should the anti-ballistic missile treaty to be torn up and should China respond to national missile defence with a substantial build up of its ICBM capacity. That's its missile delivery capacity. I think this is an underlying concern, and it's reflected in my discussions around the regions with nearly all of my interlocutors." (17 June 2001, Channel 10, "Meet the Press, Interview with Labor's Foreign Affairs Spokesman")

Junichiro Koizumi, Japanese Prime Minister
"Because this issue will affect the security not only for the United States but  also for the entire world, we must consider carefully [whether to support the U.S. plans]." (13 June 2001, Reuters, "Japanese PM Sets Stage for Touchy U.S. Relations")

Francois Rivasseau, French Foreign Ministry Spokesman
"Our position and our questions are well known. We had the opportunity of reminding the American delegation about them." (11 May 2001, Reuters, "Factbox - What They Said on U.S. Missile Defence Plans")

Kim Beazley, Australian Labor Party Leader
"[Missile defence] also may encourage the development of an arms race in an area which would be to say the least, difficult for Australia. Our advice would be that this system should not proceed." (8 May 2001, Australian Associated Press, "ALP Would Oppose Missile Plan")

Jayantha Dhanapala, UN Under Secretary-General for Disarmament
"It is strange indeed to see this apparent aversion to the rule of law in a field where states should logically require the most binding of all possible assurances of compliance and verification." (2 May 2001, IPS, "Experts Warn US Missile Shield Endangers International Arms Control")

Joschka Fischer, German Foreign Minister
“The ABM Treaty worked well,” he said. “We want control mechanisms that worked well in the past” to be replaced “only by better ones or more effective ones. We don't want there to be a new arms race.” (3 May 2001, New York Times, “Global Reaction to Missile Plan Is Cautious”)

RPR, French President Jacques Chirac's Gaullist Party
The project “carries the germ of a risk of a new arms race.” …The party called for “major consultations within the European Union on an issue that introduces new elements into the global geostrategic equilibrium.” (3 May 2001, AFP, “Sceptical France Reserves Judgement on US Missile Project”)

Phil Goff, New Zealand Foreign Minister and Matt Robson,  New Zealand Disarmament Minister 
"The establishment of the missile defense system runs the risk of halting and reversing multilateral progress toward the elimination of nuclear weapons.''  (2 May 2001, AP, “World Wary of Bush Missile Plan”)

Lloyd Axworthy, Former Canadian Foreign Minister
“It's going to scare the hell out of the Chinese and others,” Axworthy said. “And  they're going to have no recourse.” (2 May 2001, CBC, “World Reacts to Bush's Missile Defense Plan”) 

John Manley, Canadian Foreign Minister
“We have made a number of points very clear to the United States in the various discussions we've had,” Mr. Manley said today. “No. 1 is that we think a unilateral abrogation of the ABM would be very problematic for us.” (2 May 2001, New York Times, “Missile Address Buoys Republicans, But Fails To Win Over Opponents”)

Joschka Fischer, German Foreign Minister
“If there now are new thoughts, we should look about the consequences of these new thoughts. We should do that very carefully.” (2 May 2001, AP, “Bush Defense Plan Stirs Critics”)

Kofi Annan, United Nations Secretary-General
"The Secretary-General believes that, in promoting respect for the rule of law in international affairs, there is a need to consolidate and build upon existing disarmament and non-proliferation agreements, specifically to prevent a new arms race and to maintain the non-weaponized status of outer space.” (1 May 2001, UN NewsService, “Secretary-General Welcomes US Readiness to Consult Others on Defence Policy”)

Joschka Fischer, German Foreign Minister
"An effective, treaty-based arms control and disarmament regime must be preserved and expanded, including effective and verifiable prevention of proliferation." (1 May 2001, CNN, “Europe Cautious Over Bush NMD Plan”)

Anna Lindh, Swedish Foreign Minister
“We urge President Bush to abstain from the National Missile Defense, just as we urge China, India and Pakistan to discontinue their nuclear arsenals.” (1 May 2001, CNN, “Europe Cautious Over Bush NMD Plan”)

John Manley, Canadian Foreign Minister 
"The outcome needs to be an improvement to global security, not a deterioration of global security." (1 May 2001, Reuters, “Canada Urges U.S. Not to Tear up 1972 Arms Treaty”)

Phil Goff, New Zealand Foreign and Trade Minister
"While New Zealand understands the stated American wish to protect
itself from nuclear attack from a rogue state, we believe the best
security against any nuclear attack is to fulfill the objectives of the
non-proliferation treaty." (23 April 2001, Agence France-Presse, "New Zealand Urges U.S. to Drop Plan for Nuclear Missile Shield")

M. Lionel Jospin, French Prime Minister
"We have never been in favour of such an initiative, since it seems to us capable of upsetting the strategic balance we have managed to maintain until now. The new US administration has taken over its predecessor's project and seems to want to take it further ... A priori, we weren't favourably disposed towards the earlier project." (Interview in Folha de Sao Paulo, 7 April 2001, courtesy of French Embassy Press and Information Section www.ambafrance.org.uk)

Gen. Jean-Pierre Kelche, French armed forces chief of staff
“I don't think this [NMD] is the right road… this is what I call the road of pessimism, the road of abandonment of nonproliferation, which was at the heart of our common policy, the policy of the international community.” (9 February 2001, Associated Press, “Europe Unhappy With US Missile Plan”)

Bjorn Tore Godal, Norwegian Defense Minister
“We still support the ABM treaty and we are concerned about the potential negative effects of a decision to deploy NMD.” (9 February 2001, Associated Press, “Europe Unhappy With US Missile Plan”)

Anna Lindh, Swedish Foreign Minister 
“We call on the USA to consider the consequences for disarmament and non-proliferation of developing a national missile defense system, and to refrain from pursuing this project.” (8 February 2001, Nordic Business Report, “Sweden Urges US to Abandon NMD”)

Joschka Fischer, German Foreign Minister
"New arms races must be avoided and further disarmament steps introduced." (4 February 2001, Los Angeles Times, "U.S. Will Build Missile Shield, EU Allies Told")

Gerhard Schroeder, German Chancellor
"There is no doubt that within NATO, within the Alliance, we have to talk about what the repercussion and potential implications [national missile defense] would have for Russia, China and the alliance.” ( 3 February 2001, Agence France-Presse, “Germany's Schroeder Urges Dialogue Over U.S. Missile Defense Plan”)

Jacques Chirac, French President
"Our concern is that, in our opinion, NMD cannot fail to relaunch the arms race in the world" (29 January 2001, Reuters, "Chirac Sees U.S. Plan Triggering Arms Race")

Foreign Ministers of the New Agenda Coalition Countries (Brazil, Egypt, Ireland, New Zealand, Mexico, South Africa, Sweden)
“They called on the parties to the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty (ABM) to preserve its integrity and validity. They reiterated their call on them to refrain from the implementation of any measure that would undermine the Treaty's purpose … In this context, they called on all States to refrain from decisions that could impact negatively on nuclear disarmament, lead to a new arms race or be inconsistent with the commitment to the total elimination of nuclear weapons.” (Communiqué from NAC Ministerial Meeting, 13 September 2000, courtesy of United Nations Office of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom)

Lord Robertson, NATO Secretary-General
On President Clinton's decision to delay deployment of NMD: "The decision... to continue testing and development of a limited national missile defence system, while reserving judgment on eventual deployment, appears to be a prudent course of action that balances the many factors involved in this issue," (2 September 2000, BBC News Online, "Clinton Delays Missile Decision")

Michael O’Shaugnessy, Spokesman for the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade
On President Clinton's decision to delay deployment of NMD: “We are gratified that, among other things, the president has taken into account the concerns of U.S. allies and the potential risk for global strategic stability in not committing at this time to proceed with deployment.” (2 September 2000, Associated Press, "World Leaders Weigh in on National Missile Defense")

Malcolm Fraser, Former Australian Prime Minister
"Any government that agreed ... to a proposal to participate in giving an anti-ballistic missile defence shield to the United States alone, any government that contributed to that would be jeopardising Australia's own security…An Australian government cannot just accept what the United States says, what the United States wants. An Australian government has to judge our own national interest, our won national security interest and requirement and the needs and desires of the United States do not necessarily conform with what is necessary for the security and integrity of Australia." (18 July 2000, Sydney Morning Herald, “Don't Help US Nuclear Shield, Warns Fraser”)

Laurie Brereton, MP, Australian Labor Party Foreign Affairs Spokesman
"We believe that national missile defences are a thoroughly unhelpful development. Labor in office would very closely review any involvement by Australia." (18 July 2000, Canberra Times, “Labor Slates Missile Defence”)

“A decision to push ahead with the $60 billion NMD program has the potential to derail the world progress toward disarmament.” (17 July 2000, Sydney Morning Herald, “US Wants Base for Missile Plan”)

Jacques Chirac, President of France
"[National Missile Defense is] of a nature to retrigger a proliferation of weapons, notably nuclear missiles. Everything that goes in the direction of proliferation is a bad direction." (22 July 2000, New York Times, “Putin Bends Clinton's Ear Hoping To Halt Missile Shield”)

Lloyd Axworthy, Canadian Foreign Minister
"There are so many other ways we could be pursuing stability. We have expressed very strong concerns that any movement of the national missile defense that abrogates the ABM Treaty would be wrong. We don't like anything that would further expand acceleration of missile capacity." (14 July 2000, Washington Post, “G-8 Ministers: Shield Unwelcome”)

Gerhard Schroeder, German Chancellor
''Neither economically nor politically can we afford a new round of the arms race. No one can dispute the Americans' right to develop what they believe is right for national defense. On the other hand, we are partners in a common alliance.'' (7 July 2000, USA Today, “Missile Shield has Considerable Fallout Risks”)

Jacques Chirac, President of France
"Germany and France have the same analysis of the terrible consequences a NMD system could have on the ABM treaty." (9 June 2000, Reuters)

Hubert Vedrine, French Foreign Minister
French Foreign Minister Hubert Vedrine noted that there is no translation for rogue state in French. "It's not a geopolitical category we use," he said. "It is difficult for Europeans to imagine one of these rogue states attacking the United States." (30 May 2000, Washington Post article, “Threat of ‘Rogue’ States: Is It Reality or Rhetoric?”)

Lloyd Axworthy, Canadian Foreign Minister
“A new arms race could be set in motion, one that would undermine the stability that we have all come to take for granted...I am encouraged that the U.S. wishes to take into account the view of its Allies in NATO. After all, the security of us all is at stake.” (24 May 2000, North Atlantic Council Meeting of NATO)

Anna Lindh, Swedish Foreign Minister
“The United States is making plans for a national missile defence system which might restart the nuclear missile race... Such a system could run counter to efforts to halt proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.” (25 April 2000, NPT Review Conference)

Lloyd Axworthy, Canadian Foreign Minister
"Unilateral efforts to build defences against the dangers [of missile attacks] are unlikely to provide lasting security and might quite possibly increase insecurity ... the answer lies instead in creating a multilateral approach to stop missile proliferation in the first place and to make this a key part of a strengthened global non-proliferation regime." (22 March 2000, Reuters)

Jacques Chirac, President of France
"We must avoid any questioning of the ABM treaty that could lead to a disruption of strategic equilibrium and a new nuclear arms race." (March 2000)

Alain Richard, French Defence Minister
"France does not know how to evaluate the side effects of missile defences. We need much more information and consultation within NATO before any realistic decision about deployment can be made." (28 February 2000, International Herald Tribune)

Jacques Chirac, President of France
"We noted that any undermining of the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty would be dangerous and destabilizing and therefore carried risks."
(25 October 1999, joint press conference with M. Jiang Zemin, President of the People's Republic of China)

Back to the European NMD Debate.