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| TESTING THE TREATY | |
 October 11, 1999 
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After this background report, two experts discuss the upcoming Senate vote on the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty and President Clinton's attempt to delay a decision.
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| KWAME HOLMAN: With a Senate vote now expected Wednesday, the Clinton administration remains far short of the 67 votes needed to ratify the comprehensive nuclear test ban treaty. Today President Clinton sent a letter formally asking the Senate to postpone the vote, something he has appealed to Republican leaders to do over the last several days.
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| To delay or not to delay | ||||||||||||||||||||
| KWAME HOLMAN: So far, Mr. Clinton has rejected suggestions from the Republican leadership that in return for their postponing the vote he agree not to pursue ratification of the treaty during the remainder of his term. Jesse Helms, a leading opponent of the treaty, said unless the President changes his mind, the Senate should go ahead with the vote.
KWAME HOLMAN: The Comprehensive
Test Ban Treaty would ban nearly all testing involving the detonation of nuclear
weapons and set up an international monitoring system to confirm compliance. Since
the treaty's drafting in 1996, 154 countries have signed on but only 48 have ratified
it, agreeing MADELEINE ALBRIGHT: If we send this treaty down to defeat, we will fuel ambitions and fears that could multiply the number and danger of nuclear weapons, even as the new century dawns. KWAME HOLMAN: But as formal debate began on Friday, virtually all Senate Republican appeared firm in their opposition to the treaty.
SEN. JAMES INHOFE: I believe that in the White House they honestly believe that if we all stand in a circle and we all hold hands and we all disarm, everyone is going to be happy. But I'm not at all satisfied with that. I feel that we have to have the nuclear deterrent. KWAME HOLMAN: Alabama Republican Jeff Sessions argued the treaty would stop the U.S. from modernizing its own nuclear stockpile while countries with known or presumed nuclear capability would continue to develop their weapons systems.
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| Gaining international attention | ||||||||||||||||||||
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KWAME HOLMAN: In an unprecedented action, the leaders of Great Britain, France and Germany wrote an article for The New York Times opinion page last Friday urging the U.S. Senate to ratify the nuclear test ban treaty. Michigan Democrat Carl Levin, a treaty supporter, read excerpts from the article.
KWAME HOLMAN: Using parliamentary procedures, Democrats and some Republicans may succeed in postponing Senate action on the test ban agreement to avoid a precedent-setting rejection of an arms control treaty.
KWAME HOLMAN: But Majority Leader Trent Lott said he would fight against any Republican defections and is ready to go ahead with the vote.
KWAME HOLMAN: The Senate has set aside tomorrow for a full airing of the arguments for and against the nuclear test ban treaty. |  | |||||||||||||||||||
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PRESIDENT
CLINTON: I hope that the Senate will reach an agreement to delay the vote and
to establish an orderly process, a non-political, orderly process to systematically
deal with all of issues that are out there and to take whatever time is necessary
to do it. 
SEN.
JESSE HELMS: Since he has rejected our offer, I will object, along with many of
my Republican colleagues, to any effort by him or anybody else to put off next
week's vote on the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. Now, if that sounds like I'm
saying, "put up or shut up," I am. 
to
abide by its terms. President Clinton signed the treaty on behalf of the United
States in 1996 but didn't submit it for Senate consideration until a year later.
Republican leaders, opposed to the treaty, took no action until this month when
they suddenly scheduled hearings and the vote. Democrats responded by complaining
they hadn't been given enough time to attract more support for the treaty. The
President did send top administration officials to lobby skeptical Republicans
during committee hearings last week.
SEN.
KAY BAILEY HUTCHISON: A treaty is permanent. It requires great vision and caution.
Ratification of this test ban treaty would ultimately endanger our national security.
I hope our citizens are paying close and careful attention. 
SEN.
JEFF SESSIONS: They, many at least, will be determined to catch up, and they will
use this treaty to catch up, often much like the yellow caution flag when there's
an accident on a race course allows those this second, third, fourth place to
catch up to the leaders. 
SEN.
CARL LEVIN: Now what do they say -- "Rejection of the treaty in the Senate
would remove the pressure from the other states hesitating about whether to ratify
it" - rejection would give great encouragement to proliferators; rejection
would also expose a fundamental divergence within NATO." The United States
and its allies - they say -- have worked side by side for a comprehensive test
ban treaty since the days of President Eisenhower. This goal is now within our
grasp.
SEN
DANIEL PATRICK MOYNIHAN: If we can't ratify today, we may... someday we will,
but we must not reject this treaty. It would be the... send a signal, the complexities
of our procedures in the Senate are not understood abroad and they need not be
in that sense. Word will be we said no.
SEN.
TRENT LOTT: We have done here what was requested by the President and by senators.
Let's have this debate and as for myself, I'm ready to vote.