White House Report:

CTBT Debate Should Not Be Under New President Restriction

Asked about whether there will be a Senate vote on ratifying the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, White House Press Secretary Joe Lockhart told reporters at his early morning press briefing that Senate Democrats are working amongst themselves with the Senate leadership on a plan to put off such a vote.

Both Republicans and Democrats acknowledge that there are not enough votes in the Senate for ratification. Under the U.S. Constitution for a treaty to be ratified, 67 of the 100 Senators, or two-thirds of those voting, must vote for ratification.

The Republican leadership wants the Democrats to promise not to bring the treaty back to the floor of the Senate until 2001, following the Presidential elections.

But Lockhart said the White House, and Senate Democrats have made their view clear on this: "We don't believe it is in our national security interests to make a blanket statement" like that -- "that no matter what happens in the world, no matter what our national security interests are, that we won't talk about something, that we won't bring something up."

"The issue is now whether Senate Republicans want to delay this treaty or whether they want to vote this treaty down," the Press Secretary said.

He said President Clinton was to receive a briefing October 13 from his national security team on the situation on the ground in Pakistan, as well as the situation with regards to the Senate vote on the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. In addition, Lockhart said he expected the briefing to include details about a major drug bust in Colombia.