RADEMACHER, DeSUTTER, GUHIN TAKE STEP TOWARD SENATE CONFIRMATION

The chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee pointedly cautioned three nominees for State Department arms control posts that they will be expected to support arms control if they are confirmed.

"If a person accepts an arms control position, we do not expect that person to be dedicated to doing away with arms control," Senator Joseph Biden (Democrat, Delaware) said in opening a May 21 confirmation hearing for the three nominees -- Stephen Rademacher to be assistant secretary for arms control, Paula DeSutter as assistant secretary for verification and compliance, and Michael Guhin to the rank of ambassador during service as U.S. fissile material negotiator.

Biden stressed he was not disparaging the nominees themselves, but making the point in relation to opposition to arms control that he sees in some quarters, both in and out of the Bush administration.

While Biden said his admonition "may sound crazy," he observed that "there are some in this city, including at least one newspaper columnist, who think arms control is bad policy."

"We do expect a person in one of these positions we're discussing today to take a broad view of our national security interest and to judge arms control in that context. But we do not expect that person to set out to destroy arms control," he declared.

"We do expect these officials to advance the concerns of arms control, verification and compliance and a Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty, both abroad and, equally important, within the administration and the Department of State," Biden added.

The senator expressed satisfaction with the answers the trio of nominees gave to questions raised at the hearing, but indicated he would submit additional queries in writing.

He told the Washington File that the committee may vote to recommend confirmation of the nominees as soon as its next business meeting, scheduled for May 23. But he said he would not proceed to final consideration by the full Senate until his supplementary questions have been fully answered.