    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George H. W. Bush (1991, Book I)]
    [May 13, 1991]
    [Page 503]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    [[Page 503]]

    Statement on Chemical Weapons
    May 13, 1991

        The Gulf war has once again raised the specter of chemical weapons
    and demonstrated that unscrupulous regimes can and will threaten
    innocent populations with these weapons of terror so long as we permit
    them to exist. These stark events renew and reinforce my conviction,
    shared by responsible leaders around the world, that chemical weapons
    must be banned--everywhere in the world.
        The world's best hope for this goal is the chemical weapons
    convention now being negotiated by the Conference on Disarmament in
    Geneva. The United States is committed to the early, successful
    completion of this convention, and I am today announcing a number of
    steps we will take to accelerate the negotiations and achieve an
    effective chemical weapons ban as soon as possible. I hope this
    initiative also will spur other nations to commit themselves equally to
    this critical objective.
        I have instructed the United States negotiating team in Geneva to
    implement my decisions at the next session which begins May 14. To
    demonstrate the United States commitment to banning chemical weapons, we
    are formally forswearing the use of chemical weapons for any reason,
    including retaliation, against any state, effective when the convention
    enters into force, and will propose that all states follow suit.
    Further, the United States unconditionally commits itself to the
    destruction of all our stocks of chemical weapons within 10 years of
    entry into force and will propose that all other states do likewise. We
    will offer technical assistance to others to do this efficiently and
    safely.
        In addition, we will call for setting a target date to conclude the
    convention and recommend the Conference stay in continuous session if
    necessary to meet the target. The United States also will propose new
    and effective verification measures for inspecting sites suspected of
    producing or storing chemical weapons. To provide tangible benefits for
    those states that join the convention and significant penalties for
    those that fail to support it, the United States will propose the
    convention require parties to refuse to trade in chemical weapon-related
    materials with states that do not join in the convention. The United
    States reaffirms that we will impose all appropriate sanctions in
    response to violations of the convention, especially the use of chemical
    weapons.
        These steps can move the world significantly closer to the goal of a
    world free of chemical weapons. I call upon all other nations to join us
    in the serious and cooperative pursuit of this important goal.