    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1999, Book I)]
    [June 25, 1999]
    [Pages 1023-1024]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Message to the Congress on Implementation of the Chemical Weapons
    Convention Implementation Act
    June 25, 1999

    To the Congress of the United States:
        On November 14, 1994, in light of the danger of the proliferation of
    nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons (weapons of mass destruction)
    and of the means of delivering such weapons, using my authority under
    the International

    [[Page 1024]]

    Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.), I issued
    Executive Order 12938, declaring a national emergency to deal with this
    danger. Because the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction
    continues to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national
    security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States, I have
    renewed the national emergency declared in Executive Order 12938
    annually, most recently on November 12, 1998. Pursuant to section 204(b)
    of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1703(b)),
    I hereby report to the Congress that I have exercised my statutory
    authority to further amend Executive Order 12938 in order to more
    effectively respond to the worldwide threat of weapons of mass
    destruction proliferation activities.
        The new Executive order, which implements the Chemical Weapons
    Convention Implementation Act of 1998, strengthens Executive Order 12938
    by amending section 3 to authorize the United States to implement
    important provisions of the Convention on the Prohibition of the
    Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on
    Their Destruction, a multilateral agreement that serves to reduce the
    threat posed by chemical weapons. Specifically, the amendment enables
    the United States Government to ensure that imports into the United
    States of certain chemicals from any source are permitted in a manner
    consistent with the relevant provisions of the Convention.

                                                          William J. Clinton

    The White House,

    June 25, 1999.

    Note: An original was not available for verification of the content of
    this message. The Executive order is listed in Appendix D at the end of
    this volume.