[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 72 (Thursday, June 8, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1050-E1051]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         SUPPORT FOR THE WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION COMMISSION

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. EDWARD J. MARKEY

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 7, 2006

  Mr. MARKEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commend the Weapons of Mass 
Destruction Commission, and its chairman Dr. Hans Blix, on the release 
of their major report entitled, ``Weapons of Terror: Freeing the World 
of Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Arms.'' I urge my colleagues to 
consider and heed the vital recommendations put forward by Dr. Blix and 
the Commission. At a time when the spread of weapons of mass 
destruction endangers all of humanity and the international community 
struggles to find unity in the face of this threat, the Weapons of Mass 
Destruction Commission shows us a way forward to a WMD-free future.
  As the former Director General of the International Atomic Energy 
Agency (IAEA) and the Executive Chairman of the UN Monitoring, 
Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC), Dr. Blix is uniquely 
well-qualified to speak on the issue of weapons of mass destruction, 
and we would do well to listen
closely.
  I would recommend that all of my colleagues read this important and 
timely report. I ask that a summary of the Report's principal 
recommendations be inserted into the Record at this point.

    Weapons of Terror--Freeing the World of Nuclear, Biological and 
                             Chemical Arms


                                Synopsis

       Why Action Is Necessary: Nuclear, biological and chemical 
     arms are the most inhumane of all weapons. Designed to 
     terrify as well as destroy, they can, in the hands of either 
     states or non-state actors, cause destruction on a vastly 
     greater scale than any conventional weapons, and their impact 
     is far more indiscriminate and long-lasting.
       So long as any state has such weapons--especially nuclear 
     arms--others will want them. So long as any such weapons 
     remain in any state's arsenal, there is a high risk that they 
     will one day be used, by design or accident. Any such use 
     would be catastrophic.

[[Page E1051]]

       Notwithstanding the end of the Cold War balance of terror, 
     stocks of such weapons remain extraordinarily and alarmingly 
     high: some 27,000 in the case of nuclear weapons, of which 
     around 12,000 are still actively deployed.
       Weapons of mass destruction cannot be uninvented. But they 
     can be outlawed, as biological and chemical weapons already 
     have been, and their use made unthinkable. Compliance, 
     verification and enforcement rules can, with the requisite 
     will, be effectively applied. And with that will, even the 
     eventual elimination of nuclear weapons is not beyond the 
     world's reach.
       Over the past decade, there has been a serious, and 
     dangerous, loss of momentum and direction in disarmament and 
     non-proliferation efforts. Treaty making and implementation 
     have stalled and, as a new wave of proliferation has 
     threatened, unilateral enforcement action has been 
     increasingly advocated.
       In 2005 there were two loud wake-up calls in the failure of 
     the NPT Review Conference and in the inability of the World 
     Summit to agree on a single line about any WMD issue. It is 
     critical for those calls to be heeded now.
       What Must Be Done: The Weapons of Mass Destruction 
     Commission makes many specific and detailed recommendations 
     throughout its report (see Annex 1 for a consolidated list). 
     The most important of them are summarized below.
       1. Agree on general principles of action:
       Disarmament and non-proliferation are best pursued through 
     a cooperative rule-based international order, applied and 
     enforced through effective multilateral institutions, with 
     the UN Security Council as the ultimate global authority.
       There is an urgent need to revive meaningful negotiations, 
     through all available intergovernmental mechanisms, on the 
     three main objectives of reducing the danger of present 
     arsenals, preventing proliferation, and outlawing all weapons 
     of mass destruction once and for all.
       States, individually and collectively, should consistently 
     pursue policies designed to ensure that no state feels a need 
     to acquire weapons of mass destruction.
       Governments and relevant intergovernmental organizations 
     and nongovernment actors should commence preparations for a 
     World Summit on disarmament, non-proliferation and terrorist 
     use of weapons of mass destruction to generate new momentum 
     for concerted international action.
       2. Reduce the danger of present arsenals: no use by 
     states--no access by terrorists:
       Secure all weapons of mass destruction and all WMD-related 
     material and equipment from theft or other acquisition by 
     terrorists.
       Take nuclear weapons off high-alert status to reduce the 
     risk of launching by error; make deep reductions in strategic 
     nuclear weapons; place all non-strategic nuclear weapons in 
     centralized storage; and withdraw all such weapons from 
     foreign soil.
       Prohibit the production of fissile material for nuclear 
     weapons, and phase out the production of highly enriched 
     uranium.
       Diminish the role of nuclear weapons by making no-first-use 
     pledges, by giving assurances not to use them against non-
     nuclear-weapon states, and by not developing nuclear weapons 
     for new tasks.
       3. Prevent proliferation: no new weapon systems--no new 
     possessors:
       Prohibit any nuclear-weapon tests by bringing the 
     Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty into force.
       Revive the fundamental commitments of all NPT parties: the 
     five nuclear-weapon states to negotiate towards nuclear 
     disarmament and the non-nuclear-weapon states to refrain from 
     developing nuclear weapons.
       Recognize that countries that are not party to the NPT also 
     have a duty to participate in the disarmament process.
       Continue negotiations with Iran and North Korea to achieve 
     their effective and verified rejection of the nuclear-weapon 
     option, while assuring their security and acknowledging the 
     right of all NPT parties to peaceful uses of nuclear energy.
       Explore international arrangements for an assurance of 
     supply of enriched uranium fuel, and for the disposal of 
     spent fuel, to reduce incentives for national facilities and 
     to diminish proliferation risks.
       4. Work towards outlawing all weapons of mass destruction 
     once and for all:
       Accept the principle that nuclear weapons should be 
     outlawed, as are biological and chemical weapons, and explore 
     the political, legal, technical and procedural options for 
     achieving this within a reasonable time.
       Complete the implementation of existing regional nuclear-
     weapon-free zones and work actively to establish zones free 
     of WMD in other regions, particularly and most urgently in 
     the Middle East.
       Achieve universal compliance with, and effective 
     implementation of, the Chemical Weapons Convention, and speed 
     up the destruction of chemical weapon stocks.
       Achieve universal compliance with, and effective 
     implementation of, the Biological and Toxin Weapons 
     Convention, and improve cooperation between industry, 
     scientists and governments to reinforce the ban on the 
     development and production of biological weapons and to keep 
     abreast of developments in biotechnology.
       Prevent an arms race in space by prohibiting any stationing 
     or use of weapons in outer space.

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