Weapons Treaty Moves Forward

Senate opponents of a long-stalled treaty that would ban the use of chemical weapons softened their resistance Tuesday, raising prospects that the accord could move to the floor for full debate next week.

Although Sen. Majority Leader Trent Lott, R-Miss., insisted no agreement had yet been reached to schedule a vote on the controversial Chemical Weapons Convention, he confirmed that he would meet with leading Democrats today in “hopes that we can get an agreement.”

For the United States to take part in administering the convention, the Senate must vote to ratify the treaty by April 29.

Lott’s comments came only hours after his Democratic counterpart, Minority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., threatened to tie up the Senate if Republicans fail to move the treaty from the Senate’s Foreign Relations Committee.