Mike Levin: “Mr. President, the 37-member-nation conference on disarmament has been meeting in Geneva for 3 years to negotiate a…”

“Mr. President, the 37-member-nation conference on disarmament has been meeting in Geneva for 3 years to negotiate a verifiable comprehensive test ban treaty. This has long been the expressed goal of the United States and the world community as a whole. The reason it is so important relates to the issue of proliferation of nuclear weapons. If we can stop nuclear testing, we will have struck a major blow against additional nations gaining nuclear weapons because they will be denied the ability to test and to verify the performance and capability of new weapons. We have already tested the safety and the reliability and the performance and the capability of our weapons. But additional nations seeking to become nuclear weapons powers will be denied the weapons testing which we have had, and that will make it more difficult for other nations to become nuclear weapons States. That is a major blow against proliferation of nuclear weapons. The signing of a comprehensive test ban treaty will be one of the most significant steps that we can take against a major threat which is emerging in this world, which is terrorist States gaining possession and control of weapons of mass destruction.”