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Disarmament DiplomacyIssue No. 43, January - February 2000US CTBT Task Force Head AppointedStatement by Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, January 28, 2000."I am pleased to announce that General John M. Shalikashvili has agreed to serve as an adviser to the President and me and spearhead the Administration's effort to achieve bipartisan support for ratification of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. … During the Senate's debate over ratification of the CTBT last fall a number of questions were raised concerning the impact of the Treaty on our national security. These issues deserve a full airing so that the American people can be assured that this Treaty will make America and the world safer without preventing us from taking steps necessary to the national defense. A number of leading Senators from both parties have expressed interest in a bipartisan effort to move forward on eventual ratification of the CTBT. The Administration and Congress have worked together in the past on such key issues as NATO enlargement and the Chemical Weapons Convention. We must work together now on this vital effort to curb the spread of nuclear weapons. To that end, the President and I have asked General Shalikashvili to reach out to members of the Senate and to construct a path that will bridge any differences and ultimately obtain Senate advice and consent to the Treaty. …" Source: "Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty: Statement by Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright", US State Department transcript, January 28. © 2000 The Acronym Institute. |