[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 51 (Thursday, April 30, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Page S3917]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    REPORT CONCERNING THE AUSTRALIA GROUP AND THE CONVENTION ON THE 
  PROHIBITION OF THE DEVELOPMENT, PRODUCTION, STOCKPILING AND USE OF 
CHEMICAL WEAPONS AND ON THEIR DESTRUCTION--MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT--
                                 PM 118

  The PRESIDING OFFICER laid before the Senate the following message 
from the President of the United States, together with an accompanying 
report; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.

To the Congress of the United States:
  In accordance with the resolution of advice and consent to 
ratification of the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, 
Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on Their 
Destruction, adopted by the Senate of the United States on April 24, 
1997, I hereby certify in connection with Condition (7)(C)(i), 
Effectiveness of Australia Group, that:
  --Australia Group members continue to maintain an equally effective 
    or more comprehensive control over the export of toxic chemicals 
    and their precursors, dual-use processing equipment, human, animal 
    and plant pathogens and toxins with potential biological weapons 
    application, and dual-use biological equipment, as that afforded by 
    the Australia Group as of April 25, 1997; and
  --The Australia Group remains a viable mechanism for limiting the 
    spread of chemical and biological weapons-related materials and 
    technology, and that the effectiveness of the Australia Group has 
    not been undermined by changes in membership, lack of compliance 
    with common export controls and nonproliferation measures, or the 
    weakening of common controls and nonproliferation measures, in 
    force as of April 25, 1997.
                                                  William J. Clinton.  
  The White House, April 29, 1998.

                          ____________________