    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1996, Book II)]
    [September 10, 1996]
    [Pages 1525-1526]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks on the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty and an Exchange
    With Reporters in Kansas City
    September 10, 1996

        The President. Today in New York, the United Nations General
    Assembly voted overwhelmingly to adopt the Comprehensive Nuclear Test
    Ban Treaty and open it for signature later this month. On behalf of the
    American people, I will have the honor to sign this historic treaty.
        Our signature, along with that of Russia, China, France, the United
    Kingdom, and the vast majority of nations around the world will create
    an international barrier against nuclear testing as soon as we sign.
        With this treaty we're on the verge of realizing a decades-old
    dream, that no nuclear weapons will be detonated anywhere on the face of
    the Earth.
        This has been a dream of American leaders going back to Presidents
    Eisenhower and Kennedy. They long worked for a safer world at home and
    abroad. By banning all nuclear tests for all time, the treaty will
    constrain any nation from improving its existing nuclear arsenal and end
    the development of advanced nuclear weapons and help to stop their
    spread.
        We're taking the next crucial step to lift the dark cloud of nuclear
    fear that has hung over the world for 50 years now. Over the past 4
    years we have permanently extended the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty,
    dramatically cut existing nuclear arsenals under the START treaties,
    persuaded Ukraine, Belarus, and Kazakstan to give up the nuclear weapons
    left on their land after the USSR dissolved, frozen North Korea's
    dangerous nuclear program, and today no Russian missiles are pointed at
    our cities or our citizens.
        For four decades visionary statesmen like Prime Minister Nehru of
    India worked tirelessly to make the comprehensive test ban a reality.
    More recently, Britain's John Major, France's Jacques Chirac, Russia's
    Boris Yeltsin, China's Jiang Zemin--all have made courageous decisions
    to halt their country's nuclear testing programs. I want to thank them,
    along with Foreign

    [[Page 1526]]

    Minister Downer of Australia and the chairman of the CTBT negotiating
    committee, Netherlands Ambassador Jaap Ramaker, for all the work they
    have done.
        I'd also like to express my gratitude on behalf of our country to
    our Ambassador to the Conference on Disarmament, Stephen Ledogar, along
    with the entire United States delegation. They worked very hard for the
    last 3 years to bring us to this happy day. I'm proud that our American
    leadership has played an important role in this success.
        Now, together, the United States and the nations of the world have
    taken another giant step toward making our world safer. It is in that
    spirit that I will urge all nations to sign the agreement.
        Thank you.
        Q. Mr. President, there were three votes against----
        The President. There were: the Indians, and Bhutan voting with
    India, and Libya. The Indians have some concerns which they have made
    clear in public, but now that we have voted overwhelmingly to do it, and
    when we sign it, then we'll have to work out the entry into force
    provisions. I am convinced we can do it, and I believe we can find a way
    for the Indians to have their security concerns met.
        And so this is a big plus today. We're a lot closer today than we
    were yesterday toward realizing the dream of a comprehensive nuclear
    test ban.

    Same Sex Marriage

        Q. Mr. President--[inaudible]--same sex marriage bill passed today.
    Are you still going to sign it?
        The President. Yes.
        Q. Why?
        The President. For the reason that I said all along--I said back in
    '92 that while I believe that gay partners can have certain contractual
    rights and other considerations, that the term marriage should not be
    applied in law. And this bill simply says that no State has to recognize
    any other State's law to that regard. So it's consistent with the
    position I took back in '92, and therefore I will sign it.
        I will say again as I have repeatedly said, this should not be cause
    for any sort of discrimination or gay bashing, and I regret that the
    Senate failed by one vote to adopt the antidiscrimination bill with
    regard to employment discrimination, which I think is a very good bill.
    And we're so close, and I feel comfortable we'll be able to get it
    sometime in the near future.
        Thank you.

    Iraq

        Q. [Inaudible]--Saddam Hussein--[inaudible]----
        The President. Well, we don't have any independent confirmation of
    their allegation about firing the missiles. And again I will say I will
    take the position that I have taken from the day I took this office: We
    will evaluate them based on what they do, not what they say.
        Thank you.

    Note: The President spoke at 4:14 p.m. at Kansas City International
    Airport, prior to his departure from Kansas City. In his remarks, he
    referred to Prime Minister John Major of the United Kingdom; President
    Jacques Chirac of France; President Boris Yeltsin of Russia; President
    Jiang Zemin of China; Foreign Minister Alexander Downer of Australia;
    and Jaap Ramaker, Netherlands Ambassador to the Conference on
    Disarmament. A tape was not available for verification of the content of
    these remarks.