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DATE=10/3/1999 TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT TITLE=U.S. - TEST BAN (L) NUMBER=2-254611 BYLINE=DEBORAH TATE DATELINE=LOS ANGELES CONTENT= VOICED AT: INTRO: White House officials are dismissing concerns expressed by members of the U.S. intelligence community that the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty - which comes up for a ratification vote in the U.S. Senate later this month - may be difficult to verify. Correspondent Deborah Tate reports from Los Angeles, where President Clinton is traveling. Text: Clinton administration officials have launched an all-out campaign to win ratification of the test ban treaty, which they acknowledge does not yet have the support of the required two-thirds majority of the Senate. On Sunday, the Washington Post newspaper - in an article that promises to make the administration's uphill battle even more difficult - quotes unnamed Central Intelligence Agency officials saying they are not able to monitor low-level nuclear tests by Russia precisely enough to ensure compliance with the treaty. Opponents in the Republican-led Senate long have argued that the pact - which President Clinton signed three years ago - cannot be verified. But White House National Security Council spokesman David Leavy disagrees - saying the accord would give the United States more tools to verify, while constraining other nations from testing. The verification issue is just one of several concerns of treaty opponents. They say the accord would threaten U.S. national security because it would bar the United States from modernizing its arsenal in response to nuclear threats from other countries that may not sign or ratify the pact. It is another argument the administration rejects. The treaty has been signed by 154 nations - but ratified by just 47, including only 23 of the 44 nuclear-capable countries that must confirm it before the accord takes effect. Administration officials say other nations are awaiting U.S. ratification before they act on the treaty. After delaying action on the pact for two years, Senate Republican leaders last week abruptly scheduled a vote for next week. Administration officials accuse Republicans of rushing the vote in an effort to defeat the treaty. The President redoubles his efforts to win support for ratification this week - and will seek the backing of the former chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He is to address the issue at a defense bill signing Tuesday. Defense Secretary William Cohen has cut short a trip to Asia to return to Washington so that he can present the administration's case to the Senate Armed Services Committee, which is to begin three days of hearings on the treaty Wednesday. Neb/dat/gm 03-Oct-1999 17:34 PM EDT (03-Oct-1999 2134 UTC) NNNN Source: Voice of America .