Statement on Beginning Negotiations on the Fissile Material Cutoff Treaty

There is no greater security challenge in the world today than turning the tide on nuclear proliferation, and pursuing the goal of a nuclear-free world. I welcome today's important agreement at the Conference on Disarmament to begin negotiations on a fissile material cutoff treaty, which will end production of fissile materials for use in atomic bombs. As I announced in Prague, a verified cutoff treaty is an essential element of my vision for a world free of nuclear weapons. The treaty will help to cap nuclear arsenals, strengthen the consensus underlying the Non-Proliferation Treaty, and deny terrorists access to nuclear materials.

Today's decision ends more than a decade of inactivity in the Conference on Disarmament and signals a commitment to work together on this fundamental global challenge. It is good to see the Conference at work again. I am committed to consult and cooperate with the governments represented at the Conference on Disarmament to complete this treaty as soon as possible.