William Helms: “Mr. President, this condition is very important. It forbids the deposit of the United States instrument of ratification…”

“Mr. President, this condition is very important. It forbids the deposit of the United States instrument of ratification until Russia has made significant progress in implementing the 1990 Bilateral Destruction Agreement and has resolved concerns over its incomplete data declarations under the Wyoming memorandum of understanding, ratified the convention and has committed to forgo the clandestine maintenance of chemical weapons production capability. That sounds like a lot but more than anything else it is a measurement of how Russia is playing games in terms of not doing things to live up to its agreement. I have the highest hope that Russia one day will have a free enterprise economy and all the rest of it, but such commitments by Russia are absolutely imperative and essential to the success of this CWC, this treaty, in securing a truly global ban on possession and use of chemical weapons. If Russia continues to drag its feet, this convention will be worth almost nothing.”