National security principals stress benefits of CTB Treaty
President Clinton's national security principals are stressing the benefits of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, which will ban all nuclear explosions forever. The President asked Congress to join him in pursuing an "ambitious agenda to reduce the serious threat of weapons of mass destruction," and called for the Senate to approve the Treaty this year. Following are excerpts of key officials' statements as they work to fulfill the President's State of the Union agenda. Madeleine Albright, Secretary of State "An essential part of our strategy to reduce the nuclear danger is the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty now pending before the Senate. By ending testing, we can hinder both the development and spread of new and more dangerous weapons. The CTBT has been a goal of U.S. Presidents since Dwight Eisenhower and John Kennedy. It has the support of 70 percent of the American people. It has been endorsed by four former Chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff: Generals John Shalikashvili, Colin Powell and David Jones, and Admiral William Crowe. And it holds the promise of a world forever free of nuclear explosions.		"But if we are to fulfill this promise, America must lead the way this year in ratifying the Treaty, just as we did in negotiating and signing it. Mr. Chairman, I respectfully seek an early opportunity to testify before this Committee on a treaty that our citizens want and our interests demand." Senate Foreign Relations Committee Feb. 10, 1998 Federico Peña, Secretary of Energy "Thirty-five years ago, President Kennedy called the completion of the Limited Test Ban Treaty 'a shaft of light cut into the darkness of the Cold War.' Today, we have the historic opportunity for a Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, and with it, the opportunity to transform that shaft of light into a beacon that will illuminate our path to a safer future. It stands before the United States Senate right now to decide. "We have the technology. We have the support of the American people. We have the endorsement of four of the former Chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the current Chairman, the current Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Commander in Chief of Strategic Command. We have a legacy that extends from President

Eisenhower to President Clinton. And we have a historic opportunity. It is my profound hope that the Senate will seize this opportunity and approve the Treaty this year." National Press Club Feb. 12, 1998 William Cohen, Secretary of Defense "Beyond the defense realm, economic and diplomatic initiatives such as nonproliferation can help shape a favorable international environment. Also important [is] the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, which I urge the Senate to ratify." Senate Armed Services Committee Feb. 3, 1998

General Henry H. Shelton, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff "In his State of the Union Address, the President asked the Senate to approve the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty this year. The Joint Chiefs of Staff support ratification of this Treaty, with the safeguards package that establishes the conditions under which the United States would adhere to the Treaty. Last week, four previous Chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Shalikashvili, General Powell, Admiral Crowe, and General Jones, joined me in endorsing this position." House Committee on National Security Feb. 5, 1998