Daschle To Block All Bills In Fight Over Weapons Ban

With a deadline for Senate action nearing, Democratic leader Tom Daschle threatened Monday to block all bills until Republicans remove obstacles to ratification of a chemical weapons treaty.

Sen. Jesse Helms, ending any notion of softening his opposition to the treaty, planned to open hearings today with a witness list stacked against ratification.

“Reports of my capitulation have been greatly exaggerated,” Helms, R-N.C., said in an earlier announcement.

The pact would ban development, production, acquisition, stockpiling, retention and transfer of chemical weapons.