    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: WILLIAM J. CLINTON (2000, Book I)]
    [March 27, 2000]
    [Page 540]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    [[Page 540]]

    Joint Statement by the Depositary States on the 25th Anniversary of
    Entry Into Force of the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention
    March 27, 2000

        On the twenty-fifth anniversary of the entry into force of the
    Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons Convention, the three
    Depositary States, the Russian Federation, The United Kingdom of Great
    Britain and Northern Ireland, and the United States of America, reaffirm
    their belief in the continuing relevance and importance of the
    Convention. As we start a new century the principles and objectives of
    the Convention are an important international norm serving to prevent
    any country from developing, producing, stockpiling or obtaining the
    means to employ bacteriological, biological or toxin weapons as a means
    of warfare. As such the Convention remains one of the key elements of
    international security and stability.
        At its inception the Convention was a watershed international
    document, the first formal multilateral agreement to foreswear an entire
    class of weapons of mass destruction. Twenty five years later 143 States
    have acceded to it, a remarkable endorsement of the principles which it
    encompasses, and of the very important role it plays in the web of non-
    proliferation and arms control treaties. We, as the Depositaries, take
    this opportunity to call on those states which have not yet ratified or
    acceded to the BWC to do so without delay, so that the prohibitions on
    possession and development of biological weapons become even more
    universal.
        The representatives of many States Parties are now engaged in work
    to strengthen the Convention. The aim is a Protocol that will create a
    regime to enhance confidence in compliance with the fundamental
    objectives of the Convention. This effort will bring the Convention into
    better alignment with the principles of other arms control agreements.
    As the terms of the mandate given to the Ad Hoc Group make clear the
    objective is ``to consider appropriate measures, including possible
    verification measures . . . . to be included, as appropriate, in a
    legally binding instrument.'' Successful achievement of an effective
    Protocol within the agreed timeframe must be the target of all States
    Parties. We pledge our own efforts to achieving this goal, and call upon
    all other States Parties to do likewise, and to accede to the Protocol
    once it is agreed.

     Note: An original was not available for verification of the content of
    this joint statement.