White House presses case to delay test ban treaty vote

WASHINGTON (AllPolitics, October 10) -- Well short of the number of votes needed to push the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty through the Senate, the Clinton administration sent its top global policy makers to the Sunday talk shows to press for delaying Tuesday's scheduled vote.

"We are in a situation right now where we are about to send a signal to the rest of the world that we are not as serious about controlling the spread of nuclear weapons as we should be," said Defense Secretary William Cohen on NBC's "Meet The Press."

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Albright: 'Landmark' pact would slow proliferation

Testing limits, verifiability worry GOP critics

At least 3 GOP senators support delay

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"If the treaty is rejected, then it sends a signal that we are prepared to go back perhaps to nuclear testing ourselves," Cohen said. "We will have a more difficult time persuading India, Pakistan (and) other countries not to test."

Administration officials hope a delay will give them time to drum up more support for the treaty and avoid an embarrassing defeat.

Republican Senate leaders have said they would only delay the vote if President Bill Clinton, in writing, agrees not to press for consideration of the treaty for the remainder of his term. The president has so far refused to meet that condition.

Albright: 'Landmark' pact would slow proliferation

Secretary of State Madeleine Albright said the treaty, which contains a ban on future underground nuclear tests, is "one of the landmark treaties in terms of limiting what is most dangerous -- the spread of nuclear weapons."

She pointed out that the United States already has a self-imposed moratorium on other nuclear tests, as well as the capability to maintain existing weapons with technology other than underground nuclear blasts.

"I don't understand why we would want to give up our ability to prevent other countries from developing nuclear weapons because we have the strongest and most reliable nuclear arsenal," she said on ABC's "This Week."

Testing limits, verifiability worry GOP critics

Republican critics of the treaty argue that the compliance by other nations remains unverifiable and that the pact could jeopardize national security by prohibiting the United States from testing nuclear weapons in the future to make sure its arsenal is well maintained.

"I agree with six former secretaries of defense who believe that this treaty is not in the best interest of the United States of America, and that ought to be our first goal in ratifying a treaty," said Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) on CNN's "Late Edition."

"This treaty is not of the same caliber as previous arms control treaties," said Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Arizona), a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, on "Fox News Sunday." "The Senate needs to be seen as something other than just a rubber stamp. We need to be the quality control."

At least 3 GOP senators support delay

The treaty has been signed by 154 nations, including the United States, but the pact has been ratified by only 48 of those countries. If the United States does not approve it, the treaty will not go into effect.

Ratifying the treaty requires a two-thirds majority of the Senate -- 67 votes. Supporters concede they are at least 15 votes shy of that number. But if just six members of the Republican majority defect and join with Democrats, a simple majority of senators could agree to put off Tuesday's vote.

Two Republican senators, Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania and Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, have said they favor postponement. On Sunday, Sen. John McCain (R-Arizona) also said he supported a delay and expressed fears that defeating the treaty could damage Clinton's ability to conduct international policy.

"We will not have the technological capability to monitor nuclear testing within the next year, so let's hold off," said McCain, a GOP presidential candidate, on CBS's "Face The Nation."

"Let's not embarrass the USA in the eyes of the world by voting down the first treaty since, I believe, the League of Nations vote (after World War I)," he said.

Correspondent Chris Black and The Associated Press contributed to this report, written by Richard Shumate.

RELATED STORIES

Test ban treaty in limbo; U.S. nuclear policy on the line (10-7-99) Senators try to find exit strategy on nuclear test ban treaty vote (10-6-99) White House fights to save nuclear test ban treaty (10-3-99) Senate leaders close to agreement on vote for nuclear test ban treaty (10-1-99)

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