    [Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 35, Number 25 (Monday, June 28, 1999)]
    [Page 1186]
    [Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

    <R04>
    Message to the Congress on Continuation of the National Emergency With
    Respect to Weapons of Mass Destruction

    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 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.

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