[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 62 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







105th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 62

     Expressing the sense of the Senate regarding a declaration to 
     resolution of ratification of the Chemical Weapons Convention.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 10, 1997

   Mr. Ford submitted the following executive resolution; which was 
             referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                          EXECUTIVE RESOLUTION


 
     Expressing the sense of the Senate regarding a declaration to 
     resolution of ratification of the Chemical Weapons Convention.

    Resolved, That the Senate hereby expresses its intention to give 
its advice and consent to the ratification of the Chemical Weapons 
Convention at the appropriate time after the Senate has proceeded to 
the consideration of the Convention, subject to the following 
declaration, which would be binding upon the President:
            (1) Chemical weapons destruction.--Prior to the deposit of 
        the United States instrument of ratification of the Convention, 
        the President shall certify to the Congress that all of the 
        following conditions are satisfied:
                    (A) Exploration of alternative technologies.--The 
                President has agreed to explore alternative 
                technologies for the destruction of the United States 
                stockpile of chemical weapons in order to ensure that 
                the United States has the safest, most effective and 
                environmentally sound plans and programs for meeting 
                its obligations under the Convention for the 
                destruction of chemical weapons.
                    (B) Convention extends destruction deadline.--The 
                requirement in section 1412 of Public Law 99-145 (50 
                U.S.C. 1521) for completion of the destruction of the 
                United States stockpile of chemical weapons by December 
                31, 2004 will be superseded upon the date the 
                Convention enters into force with respect to the United 
                States by the deadline required by the Convention of 
                April 29, 2007.
                    (C) Authority to employ a different destruction 
                technology.--The requirement in Article III(1)(a)(v) of 
                the Convention for a declaration by each State party to 
                the Convention, not later than 30 days after the date 
                the Convention enters into force with respect to that 
                party, on general plans of the state party for 
                destruction of its chemical weapons does not preclude 
                the United States from deciding in the future to employ 
                a technology for the destruction of chemical weapons 
                different than that declared under that Article.
                    (D) Procedures for extension of deadline.--The 
                President will consult with Congress on whether to 
                submit a request to the Executive Council of the 
                Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons 
                for an extension of the deadline for the destruction of 
                chemical weapons under the Convention, as provided 
                under part IV(A) of the Annex on Implementation and 
                Verification to the Convention, if, as a result of the 
                program of alternative technologies for the destruction 
                of chemical munitions carried out under section 8065 of 
                the Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 1997 (as 
                contained in Public Law 104-208), the President 
                determines that alternatives to the incineration of 
                chemical weapons are available that are safer and more 
                environmentally sound but whose use would preclude the 
                United States from meeting the deadlines of the 
                Convention.
                                 <all>