[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.