White House Shelves Vote on Chemical Arms

The Clinton administration shelved its bid to win Senate ratification of a chemical weapons treaty Thursday after an eleventh-hour groundswell of opposition set in motion by Republican presidential candidate Bob Dole threatened to send the measure to defeat.

At President Clinton’s request, Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-Miss.) pulled the item from the Senate floor before it could be put to a vote. Strategists said that the White House would try to reschedule it before the election but may have to wait until next year.

The unexpected withdrawal was an embarrassment for the president, whose administration had expected earlier this year that the treaty would easily win ratification.

Clinton and Vice President Al Gore had personally telephoned crucial senators over the past few days to try to shore up support. The Senate began debate on the measure Thursday morning, but by midafternoon the floor action all was over.

The pact had been gradually losing support even before Thursday; by this week, opponents had mustered at least 25 of the 34 votes necessary to block endorsement. The Constitution requires approval of two-thirds of the Senate--or 67 senators--to ratify a treaty.

On Wednesday night, Dole sent a letter to Republican senators saying he had serious problems with the treaty. The move set off a rush of opposition, increasing the chances that it would be defeated.

Dole and other opponents had questioned whether the pact would be effective because the countries whose chemical weapons programs pose some of the biggest threats to U.S. interests--North Korea, Libya, Syria and Iraq--have not even signed on to the treaty.

They also voiced doubts that it would be possible to verify compliance, because many of the most lethal chemical weapons can be manufactured in makeshift laboratories unlikely to be detected by United Nations inspectors.

The action prompted a bitter rejoinder from Clinton campaign headquarters. James Rubin, the campaign’s foreign policy spokesman, strongly criticized Dole for a “failure of leadership” in rallying opposition against the weapons pact. He called the action “a tragedy.”

It is unclear if the White House can push the measure through before the election, but officials conceded privately that the administration probably will have to wait for the new Congress before trying again.

In any event, Thursday’s developments were a setback for the administration. The United States had been the leading force behind worldwide negotiations for the treaty, which were completed by President Bush in 1992. The accord has been signed by 160 countries.

Considered a landmark by arms-control advocates, the treaty would oblige the United States and other signatories to eliminate all their chemical weapons within 10 years and shut down any facilities that could be used for developing or manufacturing them.