"Cuba has provided dual-use biotechnology to other rogue states. We are concerned
                 that such technology could support BW [biological warfare] programs in those
                 states," said John Bolton, undersecretary of state for arms control, in an advance
                 copy of a speech that CNN obtained.

                 "We call on Cuba to cease all BW-applicable cooperation with rogue states and to
                 fully comply with all of its obligations under the Biological Weapons Convention,"
                 Bolton told the Heritage Foundation, a Washington-based, conservative think tank.

                 "Beyond the axis of evil, there are other rogue states intent on acquiring weapons of
                 mass destruction -- particularly biological weapons," he said.

                 In his January State of the Union address, President Bush referred to Iraq, Iran and
                 North Korea as part of an "axis of evil" -- countries he said were supporting
                 terrorism.

                 Cuba, Libya and Syria are pursuing or have the potential to pursue weapons of
                 mass destruction in violation of treaty obliga tions, Bolton warned.

                 Libya, he said, has been pursuing nuclear weapons since the United Nations
                 suspended sanctions against it in 1999, allowing it to increase its access to dual-use
                 nuclear technologies.

                 "Although Libya would need significant foreign assistance to acquire a nuclear
                 weapon, Tripoli's nuclear infrastructure enhancement remains of concern," Bolton
                 added.

                 In addition, Libya -- which is not a party to the Chemical Weapons Convention, a
                 global treaty that bans chemical weapons -- is trying to re-establish its chemical
                 weapons capability, Bolton said. The nation has renewed contacts with illicit foreign
                 sources of expertise, parts and chemicals in the Middle East, Asia and Western
                 Europe, he said.

                 Libya has said it intends to join the treaty, which would require it to declare and
                 destroy all chemical weapons production facilities and stockpiles, and prohibit it
                 from exporting certain chemicals to countries that have not signed the pact.

                 Such a move could be positive, Bolton said, but he noted that although Libya joined
                 the Biological Weapons Convention in 1982, the United States suspects the North
                 African country has continued its biological warfare program.

                 Libya, which, along with Cuba, is among seven countries on the State Department's
                 list of terror sponsors, also is continuing efforts to obtain ballistic missile-related
                 equipment, materials, technology and expertise from foreign sources, Bolton said.

                 Syria has long had a chemical-warfare program, has a stockpile of the nerve agent
                 sarin and is engaged in research and development of the more toxic and persistent
                 nerve agent VX, Bolton said.

                 "We are concerned about Syrian advances in its indigenous CW [chemical warfare]
                 infrastructure, which would significantly increase the independence of its CW
                 program," Bolton said.

                 "We think that Syria has a variety of aerial bombs and SCUD warheads, which are
                 potential means of delivery of deadly agents capable of striking neighboring
                 countries," he added.

                 North Korean and Russian entities have been involved in aiding Syria's ballistic
                 missile development, Bolton said. All of Syria's missiles are mobile and can reach
                 much of Israel, Jordan, and Turkey from launch sites within the country, he said.

                 Syria also is pursuing the development of biological weapons and is able to produce
                 at least small amounts of biological warfare agents, he said.

                 Cuba not only has a role in spreading weapons technology but is a longtime human
                 rights violator and has provided a safe haven for terrorists, Bolton said.

                 Cuba's role in threatening U.S. security has been underplayed, Bolton contended.

                 An official U.S. government report in 1998 concluded that Cuba did not represent a
                 significant military threat to the United States or the region. However, in 1998,
                 Defense Secretary William Cohen expressed serious concerns about Cuba's
                 intelligence activities against the United States.

                 According to Bolton, Cuba has had a well-developed and sophisticated biomedical
                 industry for 40 years, supported until 1990 by the Soviet Union.

                 He said the industry is one of the most advanced in Latin America and leads in the
                 production of pharmaceuticals and vaccines that are sold worldwide. Analysts and
                 Cuban defectors have long cast suspicion on the activities conducted in these
                 biomedical facilities, Bolton said.