Daniel Akaka: “this week the sixth Nonproliferation Treaty Review Conference opened in New York. At the last conference five years ago…”

“this week the sixth Nonproliferation Treaty Review Conference opened in New York. At the last conference five years ago countries agreed to extend indefinitely the treaty. I recently introduced, along with Senators Baucus, Kerry, Roth, Bingaman, Kerrey, Kohl, and Schumer, Senate Concurrent Resolution 107, expressing support for another successful review conference. A similar bipartisan resolution will be introduced in the House. I hope my colleagues on the Foreign Relations Committee will consider this resolution as quickly as possible. Some delegates to the conference have suggested that the United States is not as strongly committed as it once was to arms control, citing as examples the Senate failure to ratify the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) and Administration negotiations with the Russians to modify the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty. I wish, as do many of my distinguished colleagues, that the CTBT had been ratified. I hope that it will be. Nevertheless, I believe all my colleagues, regardless of their position on this issue, share a strong and abiding interest in pursuing arms control agreements and making the world more secure from threats from weapons of mass destruction.”