STRQMQRY with variables

I am trying to process an SQL state using the STRQMQRY command and passing
variables.  I'm want to update the field newdat with the value of the
variable &ndate where the variable &empno  equals the field empno in file
cnvdate.
The message I keep getting is.
Message . . . . :   Type a value for variable "ndate" and press Enter.



Cause . . . . . :   You want Query Management to use variable "ndate", but

that variable does not exist in the global variable pool.
Recovery  . . . :   Type a value for "ndate" and press Enter.  The variable

will be created with the value typed and will exist until the Query
Management RUN QUERY command completes.  The special value *BLANK can be
typed if you want the value for variable "ndate" to be a single blank. The
special value *NONE can be typed if you want variable "ndate" to have no
value.  If you press Enter without typing a value, or you press F3 (Exit) or
F12 (Cancel), the RUN QUERY command will be ended.

Can anyone tell me what I have wrong with the code below?

Thanks

CL Code:
**  ...+... 1 ...+... 2 ...+... 3 ...+... 4 ...+... 5 ...+... 6 ...+...
        *************** Beginning of data
***********************************
.00                 PGM
.00                 DCL        VAR(&NDATE) TYPE(*CHAR) LEN(8)
.00                 DCLF       FILE(BMEADE/WORKDATE)
.00                 READ:       RCVF

.00                 MONMSG     MSGID(CPF0864) EXEC(GOTO CMDLBL(DONE))
.00                 CVTDAT     DATE(&NEW) TOVAR(&NDATE) FROMFMT(*JUL) +
.00                           TOFMT(*YYMD) TOSEP(*NONE)
.00
.00                 STRQMQRY   QMQRY(BMEADE/CNVDATE) SETVAR((NDATE  &NDATE)
EMPNO &EMPNO))
.00
.00                    GOTO READ

.00  DONE:       ENDPGM
        ****************** End of data
**************************************
SQL :
*************** Beginning of data **********
update bmeade/cnvdate set newdat=&ndate where empno = &empno
****************** End of data *************

Bernie