Patrick Leahy: “I am a member of the Sanctions Taskforce established by the Majority and Minority Leaders, and I support this bill. I…”

“I am a member of the Sanctions Taskforce established by the Majority and Minority Leaders, and I support this bill. I want to give the President additional flexibility in his efforts to persuade the Indian and Pakistani Governments to walk back from the nuclear precipice. I think this bill represents an appropriate compromise. But I also want to emphasize that I am doing so because the President's waiver authority expires on March 1, 1999. I do not favor an open-ended waiver, nor do I want my support for this bill to be interpreted as a signal that the President should immediately use the authority to waive sanctions. I hope he will think long and hard before he does, and do so only if he is convinced that it could bring about a significant change in behavior of these countries. The United States finds itself in a difficult position. We are, after all, the only country that has ever used nuclear weapons against another country. We have also conducted thousands of nuclear tests, and we have an enormous nuclear arsenal. From the perspective of the Indians and the Pakistanis, our expressions of outrage at their recent nuclear tests may seem hypocritical. I for one believe the United States could do a great deal more to set an example on nuclear disarmament. We do not need to wait for the Russians before we take further steps of our own. Our overwhelming military power makes it possible for us, indeed I would say we have a responsibility, to do so.”