WASHINGTON - January 26 - On Tuesday, January 26, the Graham-Talent Commission on the Prevention of WMD Proliferation and Terrorism released its one-year report card evaluating the government's ability to protect the United States from the threat posed by weapons of mass destruction and terrorism. The Scientists Working Group on Biological and Chemical Weapons offers an alternative view on the bioterrorism threat, arguing that the threat is not as severe as portrayed by the Commission. The Working Group further argues that the U.S. government should take a balanced approach to preparedness that builds public health capabilities to respond to all infectious disease threats and other public health problems facing our nation.

The Scientists Working Group was founded in 1989 and has been affiliated with the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation in Washington, DC since 2003. Working Group members have extensive experience with biological weapons issues. For twenty years, they have worked to reinforce the norm against biological weapons, promote national and international measures to prevent their development and use, and encourage national and global measures for combating infectious diseases.

The full statement by the Working Group is available at http://www.armscontrolcenter.org/policy/biochem/articles/biological_threats_a_matter_of_balance.

A list of Working Group members is available at http://www.armscontrolcenter.org/policy/biochem/scientists_working_group/.

For further information or to discuss this statement, please contact Milton Leitenberg, at 301-340-3049 or mleitenberg@cs.com.