III

105TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION S. RES. 62

Expressing the sense of the Senate regarding a declaration to resolution

of ratification of the Chemical Weapons Convention.

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

MARCH 10, 1997

Mr. FORD submitted the following executive resolution; which was referred to

the Committee on Foreign Relations

EXECUTIVE RESOLUTION

Expressing the sense of the Senate regarding a declaration

to resolution of ratification of the Chemical Weapons

Convention.

1 Resolved, That the Senate hereby expresses its inten2 tion to give its advice and consent to the ratification of

3 the Chemical Weapons Convention at the appropriate time

4 after the Senate has proceeded to the consideration of the

5 Convention, subject to the following declaration, which

6 would be binding upon the President:

7 (1) CHEMICAL WEAPONS DESTRUCTION.—Prior

8 to the deposit of the United States instrument of

9 ratification of the Convention, the President shall
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•SRES 62 IS

1 certify to the Congress that all of the following con2 ditions are satisfied:

3 (A) EXPLORATION OF ALTERNATIVE TECH4 NOLOGIES.—The President has agreed to ex5 plore alternative technologies for the destruc6 tion of the United States stockpile of chemical

7 weapons in order to ensure that the United

8 States has the safest, most effective and envi9 ronmentally sound plans and programs for

10 meeting its obligations under the Convention

11 for the destruction of chemical weapons.

12 (B) CONVENTION EXTENDS DESTRUCTION

13 DEADLINE.—The requirement in section 1412

14 of Public Law 99–145 (50 U.S.C. 1521) for

15 completion of the destruction of the United

16 States stockpile of chemical weapons by Decem17 ber 31, 2004 will be superseded upon the date

18 the Convention enters into force with respect to

19 the United States by the deadline required by

20 the Convention of April 29, 2007.

21 (C) AUTHORITY TO EMPLOY A DIFFERENT

22 DESTRUCTION TECHNOLOGY.—The requirement

23 in Article III(1)(a)(v) of the Convention for a

24 declaration by each State party to the Conven25 tion, not later than 30 days after the date the
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1 Convention enters into force with respect to

2 that party, on general plans of the state party

3 for destruction of its chemical weapons does not

4 preclude the United States from deciding in the

5 future to employ a technology for the destruc6 tion of chemical weapons different than that de7 clared under that Article.

8 (D) PROCEDURES FOR EXTENSION OF

9 DEADLINE.—The President will consult with

10 Congress on whether to submit a request to the

11 Executive Council of the Organization for the

12 Prohibition of Chemical Weapons for an exten13 sion of the deadline for the destruction of chem14 ical weapons under the Convention, as provided

15 under part IV(A) of the Annex on Implementa16 tion and Verification to the Convention, if, as a

17 result of the program of alternative technologies

18 for the destruction of chemical munitions car19 ried out under section 8065 of the Department

20 of Defense Appropriations Act, 1997 (as con21 tained in Public Law 104–208), the President

22 determines that alternatives to the incineration

23 of chemical weapons are available that are safer

24 and more environmentally sound but whose use
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1 would preclude the United States from meeting

2 the deadlines of the Convention.

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