Сборник текстов для перевода. Борисова Л.А. - 18 стр.

mass destruction - the only class of such weapons that has been widely used in
combat. By the radical terms of this agreement, all signatory states foreswear the
possession, production, stockpiling, transfer and indeed the use of chemical
weapons; and all signatories must destroy all chemical weapons and chemical
weapons production facilities in their possession. Moreover, the Convention's
strict verification regime, which accommodates legitimate commercial and sov-
ereign interests, sets an innovative standard for future multilateral agreements.
        The international community is virtually united in support of the objec-
tives of the Chemical Weapons Convention. However, there must be truly global
adherence if the Convention is to achieve its purpose, and if doubts are to be
eliminated over the commitment and intentions of those who fail to sign, ratify
and fully comply with its terms.
        Nowhere is this more important today than in the Middle East, a region
which over the past 30 years has been home to more active chemical weapons
programs – and which has seen more chemical weapons use – than any other
part of the world. It is therefore particularly disappointing that so many Middle
Eastern states are absent from this ceremony today.
        The fact of the matter is that linking this Convention to other issues can-
not affect the fate of those issues, but it will surely undermine the effect of this
treaty in the one region most exposed to the danger of chemical weapons -
namely, the Middle East. The point, I believe, is to tackle the challenge of
weapons of mass destruction wherever we can and whenever we can. I would
therefore urge the members of the Arab League to seize this opportunity and
sign the Chemical Weapons Convention. Doing so would be a step forward, and
not away from, making the Middle East a zone free of all weapons of mass de-
struction, as called for by President Mubarak of Egypt.
        Today's ceremony is only the beginning of the work which lies ahead.
Next month, the Preparatory Commission will meet in the Hague to work out the
important and detailed provisions for implementing the Convention. The United
States is fully committed to the success of those efforts, which will require the
same broad support and participation which produced the successful Convention
itself.
        As I indicated at the beginning, the past few years have been a remarkably
creative period of international achievement. Perhaps not coincidentally, I be-
lieve that President Bush's passage across the international scene has equally
been one of tangible achievements, particularly in terms of the issue most im-
portant to the fate and future of the planet - the issue of weapons of mass de-
struction. George Bush's legacy will include landmark treaties as well as diplo-
matic efforts which paid non-proliferation dividends in Africa, South America,
the Middle East and here in Paris today. But he knows, as all of us must know,
that what we have accomplished to date will matter little unless we are prepared
to confront the even greater proliferation dangers we most certainly will face in
the years to come.
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