Message to the Congress on Implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention Implementation Act

To the Congress of the United States:

On November 14, 1994, in light of the danger of the proliferation of nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons (weapons of mass destruction) and of the means of delivering such weapons, using my authority under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.), I issued Executive Order 12938, declaring a national emergency to deal with this danger. Because the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction continues to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States, I have renewed the national emergency declared in Executive Order 12938 annually, most recently on November 12, 1998. Pursuant to section 204(b) of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1703(b)), I hereby report to the Congress that I have exercised my statutory authority to further amend Executive Order 12938 in order to more effectively respond to the worldwide threat of weapons of mass destruction proliferation activities.

The new Executive order, which implements the Chemical Weapons Convention Implementation Act of 1998, strengthens Executive Order 12938 by amending section 3 to authorize the United States to implement important provisions of the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on Their Destruction, a multilateral agreement that serves to reduce the threat posed by chemical weapons. Specifically, the amendment enables the United States Government to ensure that imports into the United States of certain chemicals from any source are permitted in a manner consistent with the relevant provisions of the Convention.

WILLIAM J. CLINTON

The White House, June 25, 1999.