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DATE=10/4/1999 TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT TITLE=CLINTON-TEST BAN (L) NUMBER=2-254645 BYLINE=DAVID GOLLUST DATELINE=WHITE HOUSE CONTENT= VOICED AT: Intro: President Clinton is launching a last-minute -- and admittedly uphill -- fight to try to win ratification of the global nuclear test-ban treaty, which comes up for a vote in the U-S Senate next week. V-O-A's David Gollust reports from the White House. TEXT: White House officials are irate over what they say is an effort by Republicans to "short-circuit" the legislative process by suddenly moving the treaty to a vote. But they say President Clinton has not given up on ratification, and will be making public and private appeals to Senators in advance of the October 12th vote. Senate Republican leaders say that renouncing nuclear tests amounts to unilateral disarmament by the United States, at a time when various rogue states are pursuing a nuclear capability, and China -- perhaps with stolen U-S technology -- is improving its nuclear forces. But Clinton spokesman Joe Lockhart says testing is essential to force-modernization, and as a test-ban signatory, China, among others, would be denied the means to perfect new weapons: /// LOCKHART ACT /// China has not tested since they signed [the Treaty] in 1996. They and many other countries are looking to the United States to see whether we will ratify. We will live in a safer world if the Senate does the right thing and ratifies this treaty. /// END ACT /// Mr. Lockhart says the Administration says has no evidence to support published charges that Russia, in contravention of test-ban obligations, has been secretly conducting low-yield nuclear explosions. However, he says if Russia has engaged in such activity, implementation of the test ban treaty would make it harder to do, since it provides for monitoring stations around the world and on-site inspections of suspected test locations. The United States signed the test-ban treaty in 1996, but the document languished in the Senate until a surprise decision last week by Senate Majority Trent Lott to send it to the floor for a vote -- action the White House says precludes adequate hearings and debate. (Signed) NEB/DAG/TVM/WTW 04-Oct-1999 15:32 PM EDT (04-Oct-1999 1932 UTC) NNNN Source: Voice of America .