Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 113 Part 2.djvu/1008

 113 STAT. 1501A-490 PUBLIC LAW 106-113—APPENDIX G CHAPTER 2—MATTERS RELATING TO THE CONTROL OF BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS SEC. 1121. SHORT TITLE. This chapter may be cited as the "National Security and Corporate Fairness under the Biological Weapons Convention Act". SEC. 1122. DEFINITIONS. In this chapter: (1) BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS CONVENTION.— The term "Biological Weapons Convention" means the 1972 Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and on their Destruction. (2) COMPLIANCE PROTOCOL. —The term "compliance protocol" means that segment of a bilateral or multilateral agreement that enables investigation of questions of compliance entailing written data or visits to facilities to monitor compliance. (3) INDUSTRY.—The term "industry" means any corporate or private sector entity engaged in the research, development, production, import, and export of peaceful pharmaceuticals and bio-technological and related products. SEC. 1123. FINDINGS. Congress makes the following findings: (1) The threat of biological weapons and their proliferation is one of the greatest national security threats facing the United States. (2) The threat of biological weapons and materials represents a serious and increasing danger to people around the world. (3) Biological weapons are relatively inexpensive to produce, can be made with readily available expertise and equipment, do not require much space to make and can therefore be readily concealed, do not require unusual raw materials or materials not readily available for legitimate purposes, do not require the maintenance of stockpiles, or can be delivered with low-technology mechanisms, and can effect widespread casualties even in small quantities. (4) Unlike other weapons of mass destruction, biological materials capable of use as weapons can occur naturally in the environment and are also used for medicinal or other beneficial purposes. (5) Biological weapons are morally reprehensible, prompting the United States Government to halt its offensive biological weapons program in 1969, subsequently destroy its entire biological weapons arsenal, and maintain henceforth only a robust defensive capacity. (6) The Senate gave its advice and consent to ratification of the Biological Weapons Convention in 1974. (7) The Director of the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency explained, at the time of the Senate's consideration of the Biological Weapons Convention, that the treaty contained no verification provisions because verification would be "dif- ficult".

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