PSI: countering dangerous proliferation worldwide

The Proliferation Security Initiative is two years old this month. Under this Initiative, nations across the globe - including the United States and Malta - are working in partnership to reduce the risk of weapons of mass destruction falling into the hands of terrorists, rogue states, or black marketeers.

Over 60 countries participate in this global effort. UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has highlighted the Proliferation Security Initiative, or PSI, as an example of the type of co-operative action that nations should be pursuing to reduce the current global proliferation threat.

Recent training scenarios illustrate how PSI works. In one, a train in Poland rolls toward the Czech border with cargo that includes apparently benign materials that also can be used as precursors to chemical weapons. Intelligence services and foreign ministries have reason to be suspicious of the cargo's destination and have shared information. The train will be boarded and inspected at its first stop inside Czech territory. In another, a private aircraft flies westward from Italy. Authorities in several countries receive similar information about its suspected cargo. The aircraft will be intercepted and inspected by Spanish authorities.

Transport by sea must also be monitored. That is why a key element of PSI is reciprocal Ship Boarding Agreements that facilitate co-operation between two countries to prevent the maritime transfer of materials of concern.

The US has signed four such agreements with other countries. If a US-flagged ship, or ship from the other country, is suspected of carrying proliferation-related cargo, either party to the agreement can request the other to confirm the ship's nationality and, if needed, authorise steps leading up to detention of the ship.

We believe that Ship Boarding Agreements not only deter proliferators but also attract legitimate shipping interests that want to ensure that their goods are transported under a reputable flag without the risk of misuse.

PSI has - and needs - no formal support structure, secretariat, headquarters, or chairman. Rather, PSI is an agreement among participating states to take concerted action against proliferation through co-operation among their law enforcement communities, militaries, and foreign ministries.

The PSI Statement of Interdiction Principles sets out the core objectives and co-operative methods of the Initiative. All actions taken by partner countries must be consistent with national and international laws, regulations and procedures. Participants are also considering how these existing frameworks might be strengthened.

PSI advances the spirit and letter of UN Security Council Resolution 1540, which calls on all UN member states "to take co-operative action" to prevent trafficking related to weapons of mass destruction. The Secretary General's 2004 "High Level Panel Report on Threats, Challenges and Change" cites the smuggling network of renegade Pakistani scientist A.Q. Khan as a reminder of the need to take new actions to interdict clandestine trade in components required for nuclear, chemical, biological or radiological weapons development.

As we have learned from the unraveling of the A.Q. Khan network, proliferators are employing increasingly sophisticated and aggressive measures to obtain materials related to weapons of mass destruction and their delivery systems. They rely heavily on front companies and brokers in their quest for arms, equipment, sensitive technology, and dual-use goods and they hide their illicit trafficking amid legitimate commerce.

An early success of the PSI - the 2003 interdiction of the BBC China - shows how co-operative international efforts can stop proliferators in their tracks and prevent the exploitation of vital trade flows.

No country can afford to be complacent in the wake of September 11, Beslan, Madrid, Bali and other recent attacks against innocents. A nightmare scenario is terrorists who would launch such attacks acquiring a nuclear, chemical, biological or radiological device. Every day, the US, Malta and more than 60 other nations participating in the PSI are working together to ensure that such a nightmare never occurs.