13 March 2000
(Albright calls Test Ban Treaty "too important to abandon") (720) By Jacquelyn S. Porth Washington File Security Correspondent Washington -- "It is important that the world understand we are trying to bridge differences" between the U.S. Senate and the Clinton administration on ratifying the 1996 Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), says the new special advisor to the president and the secretary of state for the treaty. Retired Army General John Shalikashvili made his statement on March 13 at the State Department after Secretary of State Madeleine Albright said the CTBT "is far too important to abandon." She expressed determination "to continue working for the treaty and join with others around the world to halt the development and spread of more advanced nuclear arms." Albright made clear that no one in the Clinton administration expects Senate action on the treaty this year; however, she said CTBT "was painstakingly negotiated and equal pains must be taken in considering it." There should be "an unhurried, nonpartisan, de-politicized dialogue" on it, she added. Shalikashvili, a former NATO commander, will be supported on the CTBT effort by former U.S. Ambassador to Finland James Goodby and Senior Advisor to the President and Secretary of State on Arms Control John Holum. Shalikashvili said the CTBT Task Force will try to allay misperceptions regarding the verifiability of CTBT and the treaty's impact on the U.S. nuclear deterrent, also noting that he will submit his recommendations to President Clinton and Secretary Albright. Goodby, now the senior CTBT coordinator, will be Shalikashvili's "right-hand man" in the effort to see if eventual ratification of the treaty is possible. If time is used wisely, Shalikashvili said, "we can have a dialogue that just might increase the chances that we can find ways to bridge the differences between the two sides (short of renegotiating the treaty). The alternative is to do nothing and just...let the treaty sit on a shelf and wither away. I think that would be irresponsible." Asked about when the treaty might be brought to the Senate for a vote again, Shalikashvili said, "I think that's for next year or beyond, whenever the time is right." The ground work needs to be laid for eventual ratification, he said, "by engaging...in a low-key, nonpartisan dialogue with every senator interested in understanding better the different views on issues and in exploring ways to bridge those differences. Shalikashvili lamented the fact that "such a dialogue did not precede the short and sharp October (1999) ratification debate." Meanwhile, he said, it is important for U.S. allies -- and the rest of the international community -- to understand that "the United States has...an effort ongoing to try to find a way to reach ratification of this treaty." It is also important for the world to grasp that the United States is "making a serious effort to try to bridge our differences and to eventually, at the right time, ratify the treaty," the new special advisor added. Pursuing the CTBT process is not about politics, or even about the legacy of a particular administration, he emphasized. "This is about national security, global stability, and American leadership." Besides working to develop a new consensus with the Senate on how to deal with the CTBT, senior advisor Holum also pointed out that the United States is still "encouraging other countries to continue with their ratification efforts." Already, he pointed out, 28 of the 44 nations that are indispensable for the treaty's entry-into-force have ratified it. "We're hopeful that that number will keep climbing," he added. Of the 44 nations that are essential for entry-into-force, Holum said, 41 have signed. The only countries in that group that have not, he said, are India, Pakistan, and North Korea. Asked about the timing of this renewed CTBT effort and President Clinton's March trip to India and Pakistan, Shalikashvili said the announcement was tied to his own travel schedule and his state of health. Whether the announcement would have any cause or effect related to the president's trip, beginning March 20, he said, "We will have to see." (The Washington File is a product of the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: usinfo.state.gov)