ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Some 275 experts representing the United Nations, NATO, and more than 40 countries will gather in Albuquerque April 20-22 to discuss the threat of chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons and the policies required to control them.

The focus of the 11th Annual International Arms Control Conference is “Looking Ahead: New Horizons and Challenges in Arms Control.” The conference will feature keynote addresses by international luminaries in arms control (see below). Panels of distinguished government officials and foreign affairs experts from around the world will discuss the following topics:

• New Paradigms in Arms Control: Offense versus Defense
• US-Russia Cooperative Efforts in Threat Reduction: Lessons Learned and Future Concerns
• The Century of Biology: Implications for Global Security and Arms Control
• Getting the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea Out of the Proliferation Game
• Homeland Defense: Is It Real?

The conference is hosted by Sandia National Laboratories’ Division of National Security and Arms Control. The division’s mission includes helping political and technical experts from around the world acquire the technology needed to monitor and control the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

To allow for a free exchange of ideas, reporters covering the conference are asked to follow special attribution guidelines. Please contact John German at 505-844-5199 for details.

“This conference brings together key leaders and policymakers in the arms control and nonproliferation communities to discuss issues that are of concern to nations around the world,” says conference chair Dr. James Brown of Sandia. “Previous conferences have allowed for a creative exchange of ideas and have resulted in valuable relationships among some of the world’s top arms control and nonproliferation experts.”

The conference takes place at the Sheraton Uptown Hotel in Albuquerque (call 800-252-7772 for accommodations). If you plan to attend the conference or for more information, please contact John German, Sandia Media Relations, at 505-844-5199 or jdgerma@sandia.gov.

• April 21, 8 a.m. (opening session): Dr. C. Paul Robinson, President, Sandia National Laboratories; Amb. Abdallah Baali, United Nations Representative, Algeria, “Reflections on the Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference”
• April 21, 12:30 p.m. (luncheon): Dr. Roger Hagengruber, Senior Vice President for National Security and Arms Control Programs, Sandia National Laboratories; Amb. Wolfgang Hoffman, Director General, Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organization, “CTBT: An Evolving Global Watch for the Comprehensive Test Ban”
• April 21, 7:15-10:00 p.m. (reception, dinner, and keynote address): Gen. Charles Boyd (ret.), Executive Director, U.S. Commission on National Security/21st Century
• April 22, 8 a.m. (special presentation): Dr. Vladimir Shkolnik, Deputy Prime Minister, Republic of Kazakhstan, “Perspectives from Kazakhstan”