White House Statement on the President's Meeting With the First United States On-Site Inspection Team for the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty

The President met this morning with Brig. Gen. Roland LaJoie, Director of the On-Site Inspection Agency, and members of the first team of U.S. inspectors who will be monitoring Soviet compliance with the INF treaty. The team is departing today for its staging area in Japan so that it will be in position to begin the on-site inspections by July 1. These will be the first of the extensive on-site inspections called for in the INF treaty, which entered into effect on June 1, 1988.

The first inspections—the baseline inspections-are to take place during July 1-September 1 and will cover 133 Soviet facilities. The Soviets will simultaneously conduct inspections of 26 U.S. INF facilities in the U.S. and in our allied basing countries. On July 1, we will also begin resident on-site monitoring of the Soviet missile facility at Votkinsk. U.S. inspectors will also be watching the elimination of Soviet INF missiles and associated equipment.

These inspection activities are an essential element of our verification regime for the INF treaty. In addition, the experience gained will be useful as we develop verification provisions for a strategic arms reduction agreement. Full and faithful implementation of the INF treaty will contribute to the confidence necessary to make further progress in arms reductions.