THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

                  TEXT OF A LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT
            TO THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
                    AND THE PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE

January 13, 1999

Dear Mr. Speaker: (Dear Mr. President:)

In accordance with the resolution of advice and consent to ratification of the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on Their Destruction, adopted by the Senate of the United States on April 24, 1997, I hereby certify in connection with Condition (7)(C)(i), Effectiveness of Australia Group, that:

     Australia Group members continue to maintain an equally effective 
     or more comprehensive control over the export of:  toxic chemicals 
     and their precursors, dual-use processing equipment, human, 
     animal, and plant pathogens and toxins with potential biological 
     weapons applications, and dual-use biological equipment, as that 
     afforded by the Australia Group as of April 25, 1997; and,

     The Australia Group remains a viable mechanism for limiting the
     spread of chemical and biological weapons-related materials and
     technology, and the effectiveness of the Australia Group has not
     been undermined by changes in membership, lack of compliance with
     common export controls and nonproliferation measures, or the
     weakening of common controls and nonproliferation measures, in 
     force as of April 25, 1997.

For your information, the Australia Group has not loosened its controls on chemical and biological weapons-related items since the entry into force of the Chemical Weapons Convention.

Sincerely,

WILLIAM J. CLINTON

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