Jan 7-11 1989 [C] One hundred and forty-nine nations
meet at a conference in Paris to restore respect for the Geneva
Protocol and its prohibition against the use of CW.
In a concluding document, the nations "solemnly affirm their commitments not
to use chemical weapons," and stress "the necessity of concluding, at an early
date, a convention on the prohibition of the development, production, stockpiling,
transfer, and use of all chemical weapons, and on their destruction."
Feb 9 1989 [M] U.S. President George Bush announces
that he will continue the Strategic
Defense Initiative, a research program to study the feasibility of defensive
measures against ballistic
missiles.
Feb 9 1989 [C] U.S. President Bush declares that
"chemical
weapons (CW) must be banned from the face of the earth, never to be used again."
March 6 1989 [C] In Vienna, U.S. Secretary of State
James Baker calls for an international conference of government and industry
to consider ways to curb the proliferation of chemicals used to produce CW.
Secretary Baker also announces that the United States will explore ways and
means to accelerate the current withdrawal schedule of U.S. CW from West Germany.
The United States calls on the Soviet Union to withdraw and destroy its "excessive
stocks" of CW.
April 7 1989 [N] Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev
announces that the Soviet Union will cease production of enriched weapons-grade
uranium. That same day, the Soviet nuclear submarine Komsomolets sinks
300 miles off the Norwegian coast, killing 42 crewmen and potentially leaking
radiation from its reactors into the sea.
June 12 1989 [O] The United States and Soviet
Union sign the Dangerous Military Activities Agreement, which commits both nations
to seek to prevent four types of dangerous military activities during peacetime:
unintentional or emergency entry into the national territory of the other side;
hazardous use of laser devices; disruption of military operations in a mutually
agreed upon "Special Caution Area;" and interference with the command and control
networks of either side.
July 5 1989 [M] Israel and South Africa are reported to have collaborated on the test of
nuclear-capable missile.
July 27 1989 [N] The U.S. House of Representatives
approves the Wyden Amendment, urging President George Bush to negotiate a bilateral
ban with the Soviet Union to phase out the production of plutonium
and highly enriched uranium
(HEU) for weapons purposes.
Sept 18-22 1989 [C] Sixty-seven nations attend
an International Government-Industry Conference Against Chemical Weapons hosted
by the Australian government in Canberra. In a statement issued by the conference,
chemical industry participants: (1) express their willingness to work for an
early conclusion of a global CW
ban; (2) oppose misuse of industrial products for the dangerous proliferation
of CW; (3) commit industry to continue its dialogue with governments on ways
to implement a CW convention; and (4) accept a self-policing role.
Sept 22 1989 [M] During two days of meetings between
U.S. Secretary of State James Baker and Soviet Foreign Minister Eduard Shevardnadze,
the Soviet Union agrees to drop its linkage between achieving an agreement on
the future of ABM systems and completing and implementing START.
The Soviet Union indicates, however, that it reserves the right to withdraw
from START if the United States does not abide by the ABM
Treaty.
Sept 23 1989 [C] The United States and the Soviet
Union issue a Memorandum of Understanding, providing for a bilateral verification
experiment and data exchange on their chemical weapons and facilities.
Sept 25 1989 [C] Speaking to the United Nations,
President Bush reaffirms the U.S. commitment to a multilateral treaty to eliminate
CW in 10 years provided
all CW states become parties
to the treaty.
Sept 26 1989 [N] In an address to the UN General
Assembly (UNGA), Soviet Foreign Minister Eduard Shevardnadze voices support
for a "verifiable cessation of the production of fissionable material for weapons
purposes."
Oct 19 1989 [N] The final Soviet underground nuclear
test occurs at the Semipalatinsk testing site in Kazakhstan.
Dec 29 1989 [C] The United States and Soviet Union
exchange data on each country's aggregate stockpile size; the types of agents;
percent of chemical agents in munitions, devices, or bulk containers; location
of storage, production, and destruction facilities; and types of munitions at
each storage facility.
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