[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 479 Introduced in House (IH)]







105th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 479

 Recognizing the security interests of the United States in furthering 
                     complete nuclear disarmament.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 18, 1998

    Ms. Woolsey (for herself, Mr. Filner, Mr. Stark, Mr. Towns, Mr. 
 McGovern, Ms. Furse, Ms. Slaughter, Mr. Kennedy of Massachusetts, Mr. 
  Hinchey, Mr. Olver, Mr. Faleomavaega, Ms. Norton, Ms. Lofgren, Mr. 
   Sanders, Mr. Owens, and Mr. Frank of Massachusetts) submitted the 
     following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on 
                        International Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Recognizing the security interests of the United States in furthering 
                     complete nuclear disarmament.

Whereas on February 2, 1998, former President Jimmy Carter and more than 100 
        former or current heads of state and civilian leaders from 46 nations 
        issued a statement that ``the world is not condemned to live forever 
        with threats of nuclear conflict, or the anxious fragile peace imposed 
        by nuclear deterrence'' and that ``the sheer destructiveness of nuclear 
        weapons invokes a moral imperative for their elimination'';
Whereas on December 5, 1996, General Lee Butler (U.S. Air Force Ret.) and more 
        than 60 other retired generals and admirals from 17 countries issued a 
        statement that ``the continuing existence of nuclear weapons in the 
        armories of nuclear powers, and the ever-present threat of acquisition 
        of these weapons by others, constitute a peril to global peace and 
        security and to the safety and survival of the people we are dedicated 
        to protect,'' and that ``the creation of a nuclear-weapons-free world'' 
        is both ``necessary'' and ``possible'';
Whereas the development and maintenance of nuclear arsenals are extraordinarily 
        expensive;
Whereas the end of the Cold War and the current strategic environment provide an 
        unprecedented opportunity to revise our national policies on nuclear 
        weapons;
Whereas the United States has a vital security interest in promoting the 
        nonproliferation and disarmament of nuclear weapons;
Whereas the only security from the threat of nuclear weapons is their 
        elimination under strict and effective international control;
Whereas the United States has undertaken, under Article VI of the Nuclear Non-
        Proliferation Treaty, to pursue negotiations in good faith on effective 
        measures relating to nuclear disarmament;
Whereas the long-term viability of the nonproliferation regime is at risk if the 
        United States fails to implement the Article VI obligation;
Whereas the United States has successfully achieved nuclear arms reductions and 
        other arms control measures through bilateral negotiations and 
        reciprocal actions;
Whereas on July 8, 1996, the International Court of Justice, in response to a 
        request for an advisory opinion from the United Nations General 
        Assembly, concluded that ``the threat or use of nuclear weapons would 
        generally be contrary to the rules of international law applicable in 
        armed conflict'' and that ``there exists an obligation to pursue in good 
        faith and bring to a conclusion negotiations leading to nuclear 
        disarmament in all its aspects under strict and effective international 
        control'';
Whereas on December 9, 1997, the United Nations General Assembly adopted by an 
        overwhelming majority Resolution 52/38 O following up on the advisory 
        opinion of the International Court of Justice and calling upon all 
        states to fulfill their nuclear disarmament obligation by commencing 
        multilateral negotiations in 1998 leading to the early conclusion of a 
        nuclear weapons convention prohibiting the development, production, 
        testing, deployment, stockpiling, transfer, threat, or use of nuclear 
        weapons and providing for their elimination, and requesting all states 
        to inform the Secretary-General of the United Nations of the efforts and 
        measures they have taken on the implementation of the resolution and 
        nuclear disarmament; and
Whereas on November 17, 1997, Costa Rica submitted to the Secretary-General of 
        the United Nations a Model Nuclear Weapons Convention as a ``work in 
        progress setting forth the legal, technical, and political issues that 
        should be considered in order to obtain an actual nuclear weapons 
        convention,'' and the Model Nuclear Weapons Convention subsequently was 
        translated into the 6 official United Nations languages and circulated 
        as a United Nations document (A/C. 1/52/7): Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) welcomes the Model Nuclear Weapons Convention as a 
        discussion document intended to further negotiations on 
        complete nuclear disarmament;
            (2) urges the President to initiate multilateral 
        negotiations leading to the early conclusion of a nuclear 
        weapons convention; and
            (3) requests the President to inform the Secretary-General 
        of the United Nations of the efforts and measures the United 
        States has taken on the implementation of United Nations 
        General Assembly Resolution 52/38 O and nuclear disarmament.
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