[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 109 (Tuesday, July 29, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8277-S8278]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 45--TRIBUTE TO HANS BLIX

  Mr. GLENN submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was 
referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations:

                            S. Con. Res. 45

       Whereas Dr. Hans Blix is nearing the completion of 16 years 
     of distinguished service as Director General of the 
     International Atomic Energy Agency is retiring from that 
     position;
       Whereas Director General Blix has pursued the fundamental 
     safeguards and nuclear cooperation objectives of the 
     International Atomic Energy Agency with admirable skill and 
     professional dedication; and
       Whereas Director General Blix has earned international 
     acclaim for his contributions to world peace and security: 
     Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives 
     concurring), That the Congress, on behalf of the people of 
     the United States--
       (1) commends Dr. Hans Blix for his untiring efforts on 
     behalf of world peace and development as the Director General 
     of the International Atomic Energy Agency; and
       (2) wishes Dr. Blix a happy and fulfilling future.

  Mr. GLENN. Mr. President, I rise today to submit and speak on behalf 
of my proposed concurrent resolution to honor Dr. Hans Blix, who will 
soon be retiring after 16 years of service as the Director General of 
the International Atomic Energy Agency [IAEA].
  Unfortunately, it is probably true that many Members of Congress do 
not fully understand what the IAEA is, what it does, and how it serves 
our national security interests. I think it is appropriate, therefore, 
to take just a few minutes to describe the agency that Dr. Blix has 
directed over these many years of distinguished service.
  I would like to begin by discussing what the IAEA is not. The agency 
is not an organization that specializes in public relations or 
advertising to herald its achievements. Its officials tend not to be 
flamboyant. It is not any appendage or puppet of the U.S. Government, 
though it surely does serve the national security and foreign policy 
interests of the American people. It is not a police force. It has no 
army. It has no clandestine intelligence service. It has no ability to 
finance its operations by raising tax revenues. Indeed,

[[Page S8278]]

it has absolutely no guarantee that adequate funds will be available to 
pay for the agency's complex and ever-growing responsibilities. And 
like many other international organizations composed of diverse 
members--including some countries that do not even exchange diplomatic 
relations--it is not an agency that is immune to political conflict or 
controversy.
  So what then is the IAEA?
  The IAEA is a highly specialized agency in the United Nations system. 
It was created back in 1957, largely as a result of the Atoms for Peace 
initiative launched by President Dwight Eisenhower. Since its 
establishment, the IAEA has performed two basic tasks. First, it 
implements a system of safeguards over the peaceful uses of nuclear 
energy around the world. These safeguards consist of inspections, 
accounting measures, and material verification controls intended to 
ensure--in the words of the IAEA statute--``* * * that special 
fissionable and other materials, services, equipment, facilities, and 
information made available by the agency or at its request or under its 
supervision or control are not used in such a way as to further any 
military purpose''.
  After the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons [NPT] 
entered into force a quarter of a century ago, the parties to that 
treaty established a system of nuclear safeguards whose objectives were 
``* * * the timely detection of diversion of significant quantities of 
nuclear material from peaceful nuclear activities to the manufacture of 
nuclear weapons or of other nuclear explosive devices or for purposes 
unknown, and deterrence of such diversion by the risk of early 
detection'' (IAEA, INFCIRC 153, para. 28).
  After the war in 1991 to expel Iraq from Kuwait, the UN Security 
Council gave the IAEA the responsibility of ensuring that Iraq was 
complying with the Council's resolutions concerning the dismantling of 
Iraq's nuclear weapons capability, a mission that the agency continues 
to perform today.
  But the agency does not just implement safeguards. Its second key 
mission is to promote the peaceful uses of nuclear energy in such 
fields as agriculture, medicine, nuclear safety, and the generation of 
electricity. Today, more than 90 countries receive nuclear technical 
assistance from the IAEA. This assistance typically comes in the form 
of equipment, expert services, and training activities. Funding for 
these activities comes primarily from member states' voluntary 
contributions. The United States, which played such an essential role 
in the creation of this agency, contributes about a quarter of the 
IAEA's regular budget, which in 1996 came to $63 million of the 
agency's $219 million budget.
  Now having just described what the Agency is not, and having reviewed 
briefly what the agency is, it should be quite apparent that any 
individual who can lead such an organization for 16 years, win numerous 
reelections, inspire the confidence of members of the world community--
some of whom are not even talking to each other--enhance the technical 
competence of the agency, and accomplish all of the above on a limited 
budget, is no ordinary individual indeed. And that describes Dr. Blix 
about as best as I can describe him. He is a remarkable public servant.

  I would like to add on a personal note that I have had the privilege 
of meeting with Dr. Blix many times during his frequent trips to this 
country. I know the kinds of political, organizational, and funding 
problems he has had to handle over his long tenure of office. I 
appreciated both his candor and his extensive knowledge about the 
workings of the agency that has done more than any other to protect the 
world community against the nightmare of loose nukes. I will miss both 
his good humor and his wise counsel about the challenges facing the 
agency as it grapples with some of the world's most difficult 
international security problems.
  Though I wish Dr. Blix well in his retirement, I also look forward to 
working with his successor as Director General, Dr. Mohamed El Baradei. 
And as I prepare for my own retirement next year, I hope that all of my 
colleagues with responsibilities in the field of international nuclear 
affairs will miss no opportunity to educate themselves about this 
important international agency and the vital contributions it makes to 
the security of all Americans and, indeed, to the security of the world 
community as a whole.
  It is important for us all to understand not just where this agency 
has been but where it may be heading in the years ahead.
  We must recognize that safeguards do not implement themselves and 
will never suffice as a permanent guarantee against the illicit uses of 
nuclear materials. We must face the fact that some nuclear activities--
such as large-scale reprocessing of plutonium or commercial uses of 
highly-enriched uranium--are probably unsafeguardable in the strict 
sense of the term and should therefore be discouraged internationally 
or, if economic reason and security considerations are allowed to 
prevail, phased out all together.
  We must acknowledge that nuclear power offers no panacea for either 
the Greenhouse Effect or the world's ever-growing demand for 
electricity.
  We must beware of efforts in the world community to expand the 
missions of this agency without also giving it the resources it needs 
to perform those responsibilities.
  We must understand that IAEA member countries that comply with their 
safeguards agreements and international nonproliferation treaty 
obligations are entitled to receive technical assistance from the 
agency--and that the United States has ample foreign policy tools 
available to influence its adversaries rather than turning the IAEA 
into a diplomatic playing card, a punching bag, or an arena for 
gladiatorial combat.
  If we recognize the strengths and limitations of the agency, I 
believe it will continue to serve the positive roles it has played over 
many decades in the service of world peace, security, and prosperity. 
And if the legacy of Dr. Blix continues to inspire the leadership of 
that agency in the years ahead, as I have every reason to believe it 
will, then the future of the IAEA will be bright indeed.
  I ask all my colleagues to join me today in congratulating Dr. Blix 
for his long and dedicated service in the pursuit of a safer world. Let 
us salute him and his agency for a job well done.

                          ____________________