Chemical Weapons Convention: Issues for Congress Page: 4 of 18
This report is part of the collection entitled: Congressional Research Service Reports and was provided to UNT Digital Library by the UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
IB94029
MOST RECENT DEVELOPMENTS
The Chemical Weapons Conventions's First Review Conference, marking the tenth
anniversary of the Convention's entry into force, will be held April 28th -May 9th . The
conference will review implementation issues and seek to identify future potential
challenges. A provisional agenda included the following areas to be discussed: chemical
industry issues, compliance verification, national implementation, confidentiality of
information, and the administrative functioning of the OPCW.
The Department of Defense Selected Acquisition Report shows an 80% increase in the
cost estimate for the chemical weapons demilitarization program, from $13.2 billion to $23.7
billion. Factors driving the increase were identified as: 1)revised destruction rates based
upon the experience at Johnston Atoll depot; 2) schedule extensions; 3) new environmental
regulations; 4) worse-than-expected stockpile condition; 5) increased equipment, labor, and
construction costs; and 6) higher emergency preparedness costs.
For FY2004, the Defense Department has requested $1.65 billion for the chemical
demilitarization program: R&D $251 million, Procurement $79 million, Operations &
Maintenance $1.19 billion, and Military Construction $119million.
BACKGROUND AND ANALYSIS
CWC Ratification and Implementation
The United States signed the Chemical Weapons Convention in the last days of the
Bush Administration (1/13/93), and the Convention was submitted to the Senate for its
advice and consent in the midst of the 103rd Congress (11/23/93). In the 103rd, 104th, and
105th Congresses, an extensive series of 13 hearings were held by the Foreign Relations,
Armed Services, Intelligence, and Judiciary Committees, complemented with classified
briefings from the intelligence community. (See For Additional Reading) Under a
unanimous consent agreement, the CWC ratification resolution was to have been brought to
the Senate floor in mid-September 1996. However, uncertain of sufficient votes to ensure
passage, it supporters postponed its consideration.Ratifying Legislation (S.Res. 75, 105th Congress)
In his 1997 State of the Union address, President Clinton pledged he would make the
CWC a high priority in 1997, pressing for Senate consent early in the 105th Congress. After
extensive negotiations between the White House and key Senators, and within the Senate
itself, a unanimous consent agreement was reached to bring the Chemical Weapons
Convention ratification resolution (S.Res. 75) to the Senate floor on April 23, 1997. The
resolution contained 33 conditions, 28 of which were agreed to by the White House and
within the Senate. Under the unanimous consent agreement, these were not subject to further
amendment or motions. Five conditions were not agreed to, and each was struck by roll-call
vote during floor debate, prior to passage of the resolution. The summary of the conditionsCRS-1
06-04-03
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This report can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Report.
Bowman, Steven R. Chemical Weapons Convention: Issues for Congress, report, June 4, 2003; Washington D.C.. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metacrs5669/m1/4/?q=%22international+affairs%22: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.