Richmond, Ky.--The Chemical Weapons Working Group (CWWG), a national coalition of
citizens groups from states where chemical weapons are stored and slated for disposal,
today announced its endorsement of ratification of the Chemical Weapons Convention
(CWC).

Craig Williams, national spokesperson for the CWWG, joined Senator Wendell Ford (D-
Ky) at the gates of the Blue Grass Army Depot in Kentucky, where a portion of the U.S.
stockpile is stored, for a joint announcement endorsing ratification of the Chemical
Weapons Convention (CWC). Senator Ford presented details contained in a Resolution he
has submitted to the Senate that would become part of the conditions under which the
Senate would ratify the Convention.

In negotiations with the National Security Council and President Clinton's Staff over the
past months, Senator Ford and the CWWG expressed grave concerns about defining
obligations under the Treaty that could be perceived as locking the U.S. into incineration of
the weapons, enforcing arbitrary destruction deadlines and blocking use of non-incineration
technologies. Ford 's Resolution of Ratification contains the following conditions:

- that the 2007 Treaty deadline will supersede the existing Congressional 2004
deadline for destruction of the United States stockpile of chemical weapons;

- that, if necessary for the implementation of a safer, more effective and
environmentally sound alternative chemical weapons destruction technologies, the
five year extension provided for in the Treaty will be requested, moving the
deadline to 2012;

- that the U.S. declaration on destruction technology, required within 180 days of
ratification, will not obligate the U.S. to use that specific technology if safer and
more environmentally sound alternatives are available;

Senator Ford also presented a letter from the White House to Secretary of Defense Cohen
stating the commitment of the Administration to vigorously pursue alternatives to the
Army's incineration program. President Clinton's letter states, "I am committed to going
the extra mile to explore whether there may be safer and more environmentally sound
alternatives to incineration."

If the U.S. does not ratify by April 29, 1997, the Treaty will go into effect without the
U.S. being able to play a role in developing verification and inspection guidelines.
Financial penalties along with trade restrictions could also be levied against the U.S.

"Our endorsement of the CWC reaffirms that we want these weapons to be destroyed, but
we want to ensure that the destruction will be done correctly," said Williams. "The
Congressional mandate states 'maximum protection', and incineration does not meet that
criteria."

Williams pointed out, "The February 10th Government Accounting Office (GAO) report
validates that there is adequate time for implementation of safe alternative technologies
within the Treaty time frame."

"The CWWG applauds Senator Ford's initiative and hard work in this matter," he
concluded.

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Contact us: Chemical Weapons Working Group Kentucky Environmental Foundation P.O. Box 467 Berea, KY 40403 phone: 859-986-7565 fax: 859-986-2695 For comments about this WWW page contact Lois Kleffman.