John Kerry: “today I am introducing the Code of Conduct on Arms Transfers Act of 1997, a bill to place restrictions on military…”

“today I am introducing the Code of Conduct on Arms Transfers Act of 1997, a bill to place restrictions on military assistance and arms transfers to governments that are not democratic, do not respect human rights, are engaged in armed aggression, or are not participating in the U.N. Register of Conventional Arms. Before I discuss the specifics of the legislation, I want to take a moment to pay tribute to our former colleague and long-time champion of this effort, Senator Mark Hatfield. During his four terms in the Senate, Senator Hatfield developed a reputation as a man committed to the search for peace and a staunch advocate of nonmilitary solutions for international problems. It was natural for Senator Hatfield to take the lead in an effort to make U.S. arms sales policy more reflective of American values. He did not succeed in winning passage of a Code of Conduct, but he placed the issue in front of the Senate and the public, and moved the debate forward. I am sure he is gratified to see that the House of Representatives adopted a version of the Code as an amendment to the bill to authorize State Department activities for fiscal year 1998. I am honored to follow in his footsteps and introduce derivative legislation, the 1997 Code of Conduct Act. The Code of Conduct on Arms Transfers Act embodies a fundamental shift in the way that the United States will deal with the transfer of conventional weapons to the rest of the world.”