ACCESSION NUMBER:305744 FILE ID:TXT501 DATE:10/01/93 TITLE:CLINTON AT THE UNITED NATIONS: PROLIFERATION (10/01/93) TEXT:*93100101.TXT CLINTON AT THE UNITED NATIONS: PROLIFERATION (VOA Editorial) (400) (Following is an editorial, broadcast by the Voice of America October 1, reflecting the views of the U.S. government.) In a speech to the U.N. General Assembly this week, President Bill Clinton spoke optimistically of the movement toward freedom and democracy around the world. But he also warned of the danger posed by the spread of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons, as well as the missiles that can deliver them. As he said, "no democracy can feel secure" if the 1roliferation of the world's deadliest weapons is not stopped. Non-proliferation is one of the highest priorities of the United States. It will affect U.S. relationships with all other nations and international institutions. The United States will pursue new steps to control the materials used in nuclear weapons and will press for an international agreement that would ban forever the production of these materials outside of international safeguards. In addition to reducing its nuclear stockpiles, the United States is prepared to begin negotiations toward a comprehensive ban on nuclear weapons testing. In July, President Clinton declared that the United States would extend its testing moratorium through at least September 1994, provided that all other states with nuclear weapons do not test. "Today in the face of disturbing signs," he said, "I renew my call on the nuclear states to abide by that moratorium as we negotiate to stop nuclear testing for all time." The United States is also proposing new efforts to fight the spread of other weapons of mass destruction. President Clinton called on all nations to ratify the Chemical Weapons Convention quickly so that it can enter into force by January 1995. The United States will seek to strengthen the Biological Weapons Convention by making every nation's activities and facilities open to more international scrutiny. In regard to ballistic missiles, Clinton said the United States "will seek to strengthen the principles of the Missile Technology Control Regime by transforming it from an agreement on technology transfer among just 23 nations to a set of rules that can command universal adherence." As President Clinton said, weapons of mass destruction can "destabilize entire regions. They could turn a local conflict into a global human and environmental catastrophe. We simply have got to find ways to control these weapons and to reduce the number of states that possess them." NNNN .
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