28 January 2000
(Albright adviser cites president's foreign policy agenda) (980) By Susan Ellis Washington File Staff Writer Washington - In his State of the Union address January 27, President Clinton called for "a comprehensive American dialogue on the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT)" in order to restrain proliferation of weapons of mass destruction "and of the systems that can deliver those (weapons) in countries such as North Korea, Iraq and Iran," a senior adviser to Secretary of State Madeleine Albright told foreign journalists January 28. Speaking at the State Department's Foreign Press Center in Washington, James O'Brien noted that one of the prime challenges outlined by President Clinton in his State of the Union address January 27 was to maintain America's security. "Here he focused on the problem of terrorism, of gangs outside the international system attempting to disrupt the gains that have been made" within that system, he said. O'Brien, who is principal deputy director in the Office of Policy Planning at the State Department, said that Albright had just announced General John Shalikashvili's appointment to head an administration effort to begin a domestic discussion on issues that have been raised about the CTBT. He called this announcement "and the President's announcement of his intentions...important, because it signals a continuing American commitment to engagement on international norms and in particular to the important norm of non-proliferation." He continued by saying that "in the Fall when the Senate voted against the treaty, many people feared that there would be an American retreat from international engagement on proliferation." Instead, he said, "What we have seen in the last 24 hours is a statement of commitment by this president and administration that that will not happen and that America remains engaged and committed to non-proliferation." Asked by a reporter why India and Pakistan would be motivated to sign the CTBT when the United States has not ratified it, O'Brien said: "The international norm in the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty provides protection for all people in the world, and it does that by laying down a rule that impedes the development of nuclear weapons" by forbidding testing in order to develop them. The United States has already committed itself, he continued, to refrain from conducting those kinds of tests. "We're maintaining that moratorium even after the Senate action and I think just by our actions (we) are reflecting a commitment to a norm that lies at the heart of the non-proliferation regime." In that and in many other ways the United States remains a world leader on non-proliferation issues, O'Brien said. "We continue to work whenever there is a threat to that particular international regime. We help to develop and then reinforce and enforce other international regimes," he said, citing Iraq (with the Wassenaar Arrangement [http://www.wassenaar.org/docs/index1.html]) and other efforts to support the cutoff of fissile material. "So on a range of fronts the United States is demonstrating our commitment to non-proliferation both by word and by deed," he said, adding "That is reason enough to regard the United States as persuasive and credible on the issue." Asked about President Clinton's vow to help the "have-not's" of the world, O'Brien said the U.S. government is a world leader in helping the victims of crises and victims of systemic disparities that create poverty. "An important starting point (in this process) is the president's bully pulpit...(his) ability to call attention to the issue and to try to call upon the resources of the private sector," that in the United States and around the world, to try to address the problem. O'Brien cited "significant aspects" in President Clinton's comments on tax credits that will address some of the concerns underlying the disparities between the "haves" and "have-nots." He singled out attacks on disease, calling the president's plan on tax credits to pave the way for vaccines and treatments to reach the poor of the world "innovative." A second way the United States helps is "by leading others in putting together coalitions of interested donors." He said in southeastern Europe, U.S. donations are in the neighborhood of 20 percent for construction, with most of the rest coming from Europe. "But the U.S. money helps to define the nature of the international presence. Without the U.S. money, there would be no other international money very often. So it's not so much the raw amount that matters; it's how well it's spent." Asked what chances he would give for Senate approval of the president's plan to grant Permanent Normal Trade Relations (NTR) to China, O'Brien said he would not "handicap" the issue, but noted "I have ears and the call upon Congress to approve (NTR with China) received among the loudest and most sustained ovations" during the State of the Union address. He said Congress' and the administration's differences, as well as those with "voices in the American public addressing concerns on worker standards in China and competition with American goods" and on human rights and individual freedom in China, are well known. Here, he said, President Clinton put forth his strongest case. "China's status on human rights is one that this U.S. government has criticized regularly and openly....We believe that a multi-faceted relationship like the one we have with the Chinese government is strong enough to withstand disagreement on issues." O'Brien also said that the administration's position is that the more open China becomes to the world, the better the situation for the Chinese people. He noted "As President Clinton said... we cannot control the Chinese government but we can control ourselves, and so if we want China to be open to the world, we must see that the world is open to China." (The Washington File is a product of the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State.)