THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

STATEMENT BY THE PRESS SECRETARY

President Clinton today announced the selection of Dr. Lori Esposito Murray as Special Advisor to the President and ACDA Director on the Chemical Weapons Convention.

"I am delighted that Dr. Murray has agreed to return to government service in order to lead our efforts to secure the Senate's advice and consent to ratification of this vital treaty," Clinton said. "Prompt Senate action on the CWC and enactment of the necessary implementing legislation will give us important new tools to deal with the twin threats of chemical weapons proliferation and chemical weapons terrorism."

The Convention was negotiated and signed by President Bush and submitted to the Senate by President Clinton. It is the most comprehensive treaty in the history of arms control, banning not only the use of chemical weapons, but also the acquisition, development, production, stockpiling, retention and transfer of such weapons. The President has declared the Convention to be a central element of U.S. arms control and nonproliferation policy, which will significantly enhance our security and that of our friends and allies.

To date, the Convention has been signed by 160 countries and ratified by 49. In his State of the Union message this year, the President emphasized the importance of prompt Senate approval of the Convention.

Prior to this position, Dr. Murray served as the Assistant Director for the Multilateral Affairs Bureau at ACDA. She was also Director of Russian Analysis at the International Republican Institute, where she directed strategic planning and evaluation of democracy programs for Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). Dr. Murray has served as Senior Legislative Assistant for Senator Nancy Landon Kassebaum (R-KS).

Dr. Murray graduated cum laude from Yale University with a B.A. in History in 1977 and received a Masters of International Affairs in 1981 and a Ph.D. in 1990 from Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.

Dr. Murray resides in Bethesda, Maryland with her husband and two children.

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