Bush says no to another arms treaty

George W Bush has walked away from another international treaty on germ warfare

The United States has announced it is rejecting a U.N. draft treaty designed to give teeth to an anti-germ warfare accord

George Bush is blithely unconcerned about upsetting his friends. We've seen his readiness to walk away from the Kyoto Accord on Climate Change, and to reject an international initiative on controlling the trade in small-arms.

Today brought another snub to the international negotiations conducted during the Clinton years.

George W Bush has walked away from another international treaty on germ warfare

A US representative declared that he was simply not prepared to sign a UN protocol on biological warfare which has taken 6 and a half years to draw up.

The Bush administration says that the proposed treaty threatens American security, and business confidentiality.

It still wants to see germ warfare outlawed, but intends to come up with a new set of proposals.

The lengthy UN negotiations have been led by a Hungarian diplomat, Tibor Toth.

We spoke to him this morning and he described the decision - using very diplomatic language - as a complication. We asked whether the Treaty could proceed without the United States.

Professor Graham Pearson is a former Director General of the Government's chemical and biological defence establishment at Porton Down. He's been following these negotiations closely and he told us he was dismayed by today's setback.