From the early 1990s, a group of like-minded nations met in Geneva and worked hard to bring in a verification protocol. I am glad that Ireland, as the Minister of State will be aware, was one of the leading members of that group. Excellent progress was being made up to the time of President Bush's election in early 2000 and it was hoped that all negotiations would be completed by September. However, in July of that year, President Bush pulled the US negotiators out and said the US would put forward something better. What has happened in the meantime? Absolutely nothing. Consequently, there is no verification protocol and, as Senator Ryan pointed out, there are vast stores of biological weapons within the United States. Some 18 months ago, a courageous biologist named Wayne Harrison stole, from a number of laboratories, various materials such as Ebola virus, anthrax and smallpox, which he presented to the CIA. For his pains, he got a suspended sentence of 18 months, but no action was taken to deal with those weapons of mass destruction.