A Declaration signed by veterans, environmental and disarmament groups, supporting ratification
of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), was released in Washington today.

The National Gulf War Resource Center (NGWRC), a coalition of more than two dozen grass-
roots Gulf veterans organizations, many of whose members were exposed to chemical agents in
the Gulf, joined with the Chemical Weapons Working Group (CWWG) and disarmament groups,
such as the Council For A Livable World (CLW), urging Senate ratification. The Declaration
encourages passage of the Convention and emphasizes the need for alternative technologies to the
Pentagon's incineration program.

The Declaration reads in part:

* We support the ratification by the U.S. Senate of the Chemical Weapons Convention by the
date the treaty enters into force, 29 April 1997;

* We support the full destruction of the U.S. chemical weapons stockpile in a manner that is
safe and fully protective of public health and the environment;

* We will seek to ensure adequate funding for the demonstration and deployment of safe, and
environmentally sound alternative chemical weapons destruction technologies;

* ...we will advocate that the U.S. maintain its option to request an extension of the deadline
(2007) to 2012, if more time is needed to implement environmentally sound technologies.

Because of the attention and controversy surrounding chemical weapon exposure in the Gulf, the
endorsement by the NGWRC is a major victory for the Clinton Administration in its efforts to win
support for the treaty. In a February 27th letter to Senator Wendell Ford (D-Ky), Sandy Berger,
Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs, quoting the President said, "We have no
more important obligations [than ratifying the treaty], especially in the wake of what we now
know about the Gulf War."

Disarmament groups, which have been working for passage of the CWC, were also pleased with
the broad spectrum of interests represented in the joint Declaration. John Issacs, Director of the
Council for a Livable World, a Washington based disarmament group said, "This joining together
in support of the CWC is a sign of the wide support for this critical treaty."

Craig Williams, spokesperson for the CWWG, a national coalition of community groups opposed
to the Pentagon's incineration plans for disposing of the U.S. chemical weapons cache, said, "The
issue for us has always been how to safely dispose of these weapons, not if we should. The
unified call for alternative technologies to incineration in today's Declaration is an important step in
accomplishing this objective."

The CWWG's endorsement of the treaty comes following a long period of negotiations,
spearheaded by Senator Ford, with senior Clinton Administration officials . Senator Ford has
submitted a ratification resolution which would ensure that alternatives to the Pentagon's
incineration program would not be hindered by treaty ratification.

The incineration program has been the focus of increasing criticism from Gulf War veterans who
have joined concerned citizens at sites where incinerators are proposed or operating, such as
Alabama and Utah. Recent medical evidence suggests that Gulf War Illness is linked to low-level
chemical agent exposures. Some Gulf veterans have described the low-level nerve gas coming
from the incinerators as "Gulf War Syndrome, Coming Soon To A Community Near You."

In announcing its support for the CWC, the National Gulf War Resource Center said it wants the
Pentagon to use safe, no emissions technologies to destroy chemical weapons stockpiles. "This
will ensure maximum safety to citizens and the environment when compared to the known low-
level releases produced by the incineration process," NGWRC's statement said.

Williams said, "The Pentagon has ignored the dangers of low-level exposure to our troops, and is
now following the same approach for our own civilian population. This is scandalous in the face
of what we've learned about the Gulf veterans health problems. The CWWG supports the
NGWRC's efforts to get to the bottom of this, to ensure adequate health care to the Gulf Vets and
calls for an immediate cessation of the burning of this dangerous material."

The CWWG has endorsed alternative, non-incineration technologies for chemical weapons
disposal at the Army's Maryland and Indiana sites. "We've always been in favor of disposal,"
concluded Williams. "The issue we bring to the table is how to accomplish it without exposing the
communities nearby to agent. Incineration is clearly not the answer."

Last year, Congress demonstrated its interest in alternative approaches by passing an amendment,
sponsored by Senator Mitch McConnell, (R-Ky), to include $40 million for development of non-
incineration technologies in the 1997 Defense Appropriations Bill.

The CWC will go into force on April 29, 1997 with or without the U.S. as a party to it. Should
the Senate vote against ratification, there would be serious ramifications including trade limitations
and fines.

The following organizations signed the Declaration: Chemical Weapons Working Group; Council
For A Livable Word; Friends of the Earth; Greenpeace; National Gulf War Resource Center; Peace
Action; Physicians for Social Responsibility; Plutonium Challenge; 20/20 Vision National Project;
Sierra Club; Veterans for Peace; and Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation.

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