(U.S. welcomes Netherlands to Global Partnership against Spread of Weapons, Materials of Mass Destruction) (280) The United States welcomes the decision of the Netherlands to participate in the G-8 Global Partnership against the Spread of Weapons and Materials of Mass Destruction, said State Department Deputy Spokesman Philip Reeker June 11. Following is Reeker's statement: (begin text) U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE Office of the Spokesman June 11, 2003 Statement by Philip T. Reeker, Deputy Spokesman THE NETHERLANDS PARTICIPATION IN THE GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP The United States warmly welcomes the decision of the Netherlands to participate in the G-8 Global Partnership Against the Spread of Weapons and Materials of Mass Destruction. Foreign Minister Jaap de Hoop Scheffer has conveyed in a letter to Deputy Secretary Armitage that the Netherlands will join the Partnership, and we look forward to cooperation on this initiative. The Netherlands has been strongly interested in nonproliferation issues, and is currently involved in cooperation in the nuclear field as well as chemical weapons destruction. The Global Partnership Initiative, launched by President Bush and other G-8 leaders at the Kananaskis Summit of 2002, represents a significant undertaking by the international community to prevent terrorists or those that harbor them from acquiring or developing weapons of mass destruction. The Leaders committed to raise up to $20 billion over ten years for cooperative projects in the fields of nonproliferation, disarmament, counter-terrorism and nuclear safety, initially focused on Russia. At the Evian Summit June 1-2, Leaders reviewed progress during the first year of the Partnership, and welcomed the participation of Finland, Norway, Poland, Sweden, and Switzerland.