[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 38 (Tuesday, April 12, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[Congressional Record: April 12, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
MORNING BUSINESS
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THE CLINTON ADMINISTRATION'S EFFORTS TO ACHIEVE A COMPREHENSIVE TEST
BAN TREATY
Mr. MITCHELL. Mr. President, in 1992, I joined other Senators in
authoring an amendment that requires the administration to seek to
achieve a comprehensive test ban [CTB] treaty by September 1996. This
amendment, adopted by the Senate and enacted into law, was a clear
declaration that the American people desire an end to the threat of
nuclear war.
I would like to take this opportunity to commend the Clinton
administration on its efforts to achieve the goal set forth in our
amendment. Since coming into office, President Clinton has twice
extended the nuclear testing moratorium established by the legislation,
and rightly condemned a test conducted by China last October. The
President and his administration are now taking steps to ensure that
progress can be made this year on the CTB treaty. The President's
message to this year's opening session of the Conference on Disarmament
was a clear statement of U.S. commitment to swift negotiation of the
treaty. John Holum, Director of the U.S. Arms Control and Disarmament
Agency, has translated this commitment into actions intended to promote
the achievement of the treaty without delay.
Mr. President, progress on the CTB treaty is critical both in its own
right and in order to enhance the prospects for an indefinite extension
of the Non-Proliferation Treaty in 1995. I commend President Clinton
and Director Holum for their efforts to date to obtain swift completion
of the CTB treaty, and urge them to continue in this leadership role. I
ask unanimous consent to include in the Congressional Record with my
statement an article written by Director Holum that appeared recently
in the Christian Science Monitor. This article outlines both the
administration's commitment to the CTB treaty and actions being taken
to achieve this goal.
[From the Christian Science Monitor, Mar. 30, 1994]
United States Stands Committed To Nuclear Test Ban
(By John D. Holum)
President Clinton underscored on March 15 America's
commitment to negotiating a global ban on nuclear testing: He
told Congress that the United States will continue its
current moratorium on testing through September 1995. The
decision demonstrated bold American leadership that will give
new impetus to the international talks on a Comprehensive
Test Ban (CTB) in Geneva. The first round ends on March 31,
with encouraging progress thus far.
Achieving a CTB is critical to this administration's arms
control and nonproliferation strategy. A permanent ban on
testing will lower international tensions and provide new
insurance against an arms race between the nuclear powers. As
importantly, it will stem nuclear proliferation by
discouraging other nations from developing their own nuclear
arsenals. Continuing the moratorium creates the most
conducive atmosphere for negotiating a CTB, and it puts the
US in the best possible position to urge indefinite extension
of the Non-Proliferation Treaty in 1995.
Nonnuclear-weapons states that must vote on extension of
the NPT have often questioned the seriousness of the nuclear
powers in curbing their own nuclear-weapons programs.
Extending the moratorium and working diligently for the CTB
agreement is the best demonstration of that seriousness.
Mr. Clinton's decision was premised on a fundamental
assessment of the US nuclear arsenal by the Pentagon and
Department of Energy. They affirmed that our nuclear weapons
are safe and reliable--fully able to provide the strategic
deterrence on which the security of our nation depends. While
additional tests could conceivably help prepare for a test
ban--by providing further improvements in safety and
reliability--the president believes that any benefits derived
from testing are outweighed by the negative impact on our
nonproliferation goals.
He also based his decision on the fact that Russia,
Britain, and France have not carried out any nuclear tests
since the moratorium went into effect. Only China has
exploded a nuclear device during this time.
After the Chinese test, the US protested vigorously to the
Chinese government but decided that the test was not
sufficient grounds for breaking the US moratorium. The US
continues to press China hard to join the moratorium in order
to further the CTB negotiations and advance global nuclear
nonproliferation.
On Jan. 25, I delivered a strong message from Clinton to
the opening session of the Conference on Disarmament in
Geneva, where delegates from many countries are now
negotiating a CTB. The president emphasized that there is no
more important an issue for the conference ``than the
negotiation of a comprehensive and verifiable ban on nuclear
explosions.''
He said that a CTB ``reflects our common desire to take
decisive action that will support and supplement the global
nuclear nonproliferation regime and will further constrain
the acquisition and development of nuclear weapons.''
In the nine weeks since bringing the president's message,
delegates at the Geneva Conference have made real progress.
They are striving within working groups to address difficult
verification and legal issues. They are evaluating
technologies to help monitor a test ban, including a network
of seismic stations, atmospheric radioactivity detectors, and
on-site inspections.
The US delegation in Geneva, led by Amb. Stephen Ledogar,
will surely encounter obstacles in the negotiating that lies
ahead. But we intend to push as hard as possible to resolve
contentious issues and prevent them from blocking the path
toward a CTB.
Each of the nuclear powers has committed itself to
achieving a comprehensive ban on nuclear testing--and many
other nations are willing to follow the lead. We must not
squander this unprecedented opportunity by failing to assert
US leadership or weakly pursuing US arms control and
nonproliferation goals. We must rededicate ourselves to the
task of achieving a CTB.
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