Dayton Daily News
September 23, 1997
CLINTON CALLS FOR END TO GLOBAL NUCLEAR TESTING
UNITED NATIONS (AP) - President Clinton sent the Senate the long-delayed
global test-ban treaty Monday and urged lawmakers to ''end all nuclear tests for
all time'' by approving the pact over objections of some Republicans.
Announcing his action in an address to the United Nations' 52nd General
Assembly, Clinton called the treaty ''the longest sought, hardest fought prize
in the history of arms control.'' He signed the accord a year ago but pocketed
it while White House lobbyists tried to build support.
In a 19-minute speech to U.N. delegates, the president also called for a
permanent international court to punish human rights violators.
He pledged that the United States would pay nearly $1 billion in past-due
U.N. fees to ''put the question of debts and dues behind us once and for all.''
Returning to the theme of his U.N. address last year, Clinton said the
nations of the world must unite against ''21st century predators.'' He warned,
''We're all vulnerable to the reckless acts of rogue states and to an unholy
axis of terrorists, drug traffickers and international criminals.''
His submission of the test-ban treaty is expected to stir opposition from GOP
senators who don't trust arms control agreements or who insist that testing is
needed to maintain America's nuclear stockpile.
The debate probably will restore battle lines from the vote on the
Clinton-backed chemical weapons treaty, ratified in April after many lawmakers
remained undecided until the last minute. The president needs about 22
Republican senators to join Democrats in support of the treaty. ''We intend to
win this vote and failure is not an option,'' said Robert Bell, a senior White
House arms control adviser.
|
