WMD 411 Chronology — 1994

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Produced by the Monterey Institute's Center for Nonproliferation Studies

KEY: [B] Biological, [C] Chemical, [M] Missile, [N] Nuclear, [O] Organization [T] Terrorism

Jan 1994 [N] Negotiations on a CTBT begin in the Ad Hoc Committee at the Conference on Disarmament.

Jan 14 1994 [N] Presidents Clinton and Yeltsin meet in Moscow and affirm both countries' support for a CTBT. Clinton and Yeltsin announce that, by the end of May, U.S. and Russian missiles will target no country. A declaration signed by the two presidents states, "For the first time since the earliest days of the Nuclear Age, the two countries will no longer operate nuclear forces, day-to-day, in a manner that presumes they are enemies."

Jan 14 1994 [N] A Trilateral Statement on the Non-Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction and the Means of their Delivery by the Presidents of the United States, Russia, and Ukraine is signed in Moscow. The statement details the procedures for the transfer of Ukrainian nuclear warheads to Russia and associated compensation and security assurances.

Jan 25 1994 [N] The Conference on Disarmament begins consultations on the most appropriate arrangement to negotiate a treaty on the prohibition of the production of fissile material for weapons purposes (FMCT).

Feb 14 1994 [N] Kazakhstan accedes to the NPT as a non-nuclear weapon state.

Feb 20 1994 [N] Mordechai Vanunu is put in solitary confinement in an Israeli prison for publicly exposing his government's secret development of nuclear weapons.

March 11-14 1994 [M] A U.S. State Department visit to China fails to break the impasse in the negotiations to get China to sign the MTCR. The United States will lift the sanctions on China, which were imposed on August 25, 1993 for selling M-11 missiles to Pakistan, if China formally signs the MTCR and "comes to an understanding" concerning future Chinese missile and missile technology transfers to Pakistan.

March 14 1994 [N] President Bill Clinton extends the U.S. nuclear testing moratorium through September 1995.

May 10 1994 [N] German officials seize 0.19 ounces of Plutonium-239 in Stuttgart. The material is believed to be from the former Soviet Union.

June 1994 [N] The Canadian Ambassador to the Conference on Disarmament announces that consensus exists among CD members that the CD is the appropriate forum for the negotiation of a FMCT.

June 3 1994 [M] India test fires its Prithvi medium-range missile.

June 23 1994 [N] U.S. Vice President Al Gore and Russian Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin sign an agreement to shut down the remaining plutonium production reactors operating in Russia by the year 2000.

Aug 10 1994 [N] In Germany, 19.75 ounces of mixed oxide uranium-plutonium nuclear reactor fuel are sized at the Munich Airport from a flight originating in Moscow. The discovery raises international concern about the lack of adequate security measures in place at the nuclear power facilities throughout the former Soviet Union and the level of security at the border and customs.

Sept 19-20 1994 [B] The 79 state-parties attending a Special Conference on Biological Weapons in Geneva agree to establish the Ad Hoc Group to consider the 21 verification measures suggested by VEREX and make proposals to strengthen the treaty at the fourth BWC review conference in late 1996.

Sept 20 1994 [N] The International Convention on Nuclear Safety is opened for signature in Vienna. Parties agree to develop and implement safety guidelines for their domestic nuclear power industry. In addition, parties must create a regulatory commission for the nuclear power industry that is effectively separated from the regulated industry and from government organizations that promote nuclear power.

Sept 28 1994 [M] During a Washington, DC summit, U.S. President Bill Clinton and Russian President Boris Yeltsin issue a joint statement that they have "agreed on the fundamental importance of preserving the viability and integrity of the ABM Treaty" and that both sides have "an interest in developing and fielding effective theater missile defense systems on a cooperative basis."

Oct 4 1994 [M] Chinese Foreign Minister Qian Qichen and U.S. Secretary of State Warren Christopher sign the "Joint United States-People's Republic of China Statement on Missile Proliferation." By signing the statement, China agrees to restrictions on missiles if they have the "inherent capability" to be modified to specifications covered under MTCR guidelines, "regardless of [their] demonstrated or advertised combination of range and payload." China does not sign the MTCR. However, China and the United States agree to "hold in-depth discussions" on the MTCR and the possibility of China's eventual membership in the regime.

Oct 23 1994 [N] The United States and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK or North Korea) sign an "Agreed Framework" to freeze the North Korean nuclear program and halt the DPRK's withdrawal from the NPT. In exchange, the United States, South Korea, and Japan will build light-water reactors to supply the DPRK with power and will provide oil for energy in the interim. [See KEDO]

Nov 27 1994 [N] U.S. officials announce the completion of Project Sapphire. The United States purchased approximately half a ton of HEU from Kazakhstan and transported it to the United States. The materials were considered vulnerable to theft and to terrorists.

Dec 8 1994 [N] Ukraine officially joins the NPT as a non-nuclear weapon state. With their adoption of the NPT, START I enters into force.

Dec 14 1994 [N] In Prague, Czech Republic, Police discover six pounds of weapons-grade uranium. Officials believe the uranium was smuggled out of Russia.

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This material is produced independently for NTI by the Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Monterey Institute of International Studies and does not necessarily reflect the opinions of and has not been independently verified by NTI or its directors, officers, employees, agents. Copyright © 2008 by MIIS.