Original: SPANISH

Eighth Session

(26 - 30 September 1994)

STATEMENT BY AMBASSADOR MIGUEL MARIN BOSCH, CHAIRMAN OF THE EIGHTH SESSION OF THE PREPARATORY COMMISSION FOR OPCW

26 SEPTEMBER 1994

1. In declaring the Eighth Session of the Preparatory Commission of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons open I should like to refer briefly to three issues which seem to me to be fundamental for the successful completion of our tasks: the process of ratification, the need to maintain a balance between the obligations and the rights of the States Parties to the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on their Destruction and the representation of the signatory States in the work of the Preparatory Commission and in that of the future OPCW.

2. The slow progress of the ratification process is a matter of particular concern since uncertainty concerning the entry into force of the Convention directly affects the work of the Preparatory Commission, particularly in the field of verification. In spite of the fact that there have been some encouraging signs since the last session, with ratifications by countries, including Mexico, which have a large chemical industry, 51 ratifications are still required for the Convention to enter into force.

3. The Convention on the total prohibition of chemical weapons is the first internationally negotiated disarmament agreement providing for a strict verification system for the comprehensive elimination of an entire category of weapons of mass destruction; this is why its prompt entry into force is of fundamental importance. Given that the Convention forms part of the international efforts to control and eliminate weapons of mass destruction and to establish an improved system of international peace and security, the chemical-weapon-States and those States with the largest chemical industries should expedite their ratification procedures. Their conduct in that regard will, without any doubt, be followed by many other signatory States and also by those that have not signed.

4. The preparations for entry into force must include measures to ensure a balance between the rights and obligations of the States Parties. Every effort should be made in that connection to ensure that the willingness of the States Parties to submit, under the terms of the Convention, to strict verification measures such as challenge inspections is compensated by a genuine political will to promote international cooperation and the exchange of scientific and technical information as well as to eliminate all barriers between the Member States themselves to trade in chemicals for purposes not prohibited under the Convention in order to contribute to their economic and technological development. The attainment of such a balance will be a central factor in the correct implementation of the Convention.

5. The maximum participation by the signatory States is also fundamental for our work. It is important not only that the principal decisions of the Preparatory Commission are taken with the active participation of the greatest number of Member States but also that the countries should prepare themselves to participate actively in the future Organisation. In particular, the Technical Secretariat and the Inspectorate must reflect an appropriate representation of the different regions of the world in order to endow the verification tasks with the greatest possible legitimacy; however, this will only be possible through a greater involvement of all Member States in the tasks of establishing OPCW with the greatest number of ratifications at the time of the entry into force of the Convention.

6. With regard to the current session, the Preparatory Commission will receive the Report of the Expert Group on Programme of Work and Budget which reflects the outcome of complex negotiations which made it possible to achieve agreement on the budget of the Preparatory Commission and on its Work Programme for 1995. I urge delegations to approve the Report in the form in which it is submitted by Ambassador Jorge Morales, Chairman of the Expert Group. The Report sets an overall budget of 56.8 million Netherlands guilders which means that the budget for the forthcoming year represents zero real growth as compared with the current year.

7. The Eighth Session will also have to take important decisions in the Committee on Relations with the Host Country. On the one hand a proposal will be submitted for consideration at this session to the effect that the OPCW Laboratory and Equipment Store should be located in a building in Rijswijk on the outskirts of The Hague and, on the other, a Programme of Work to enable the Preparatory Commission to take a decision next December on the permanent accommodation of the future OPCW will have to be agreed. In that connection, negotiations with the host country are taking place concerning the conditions for utilisation of the land on the site offered for the construction of the building that will house the Organisation and on the facilities for holding the meetings of the Conference of States Parties. I am sure that, in the light of international practice and the expectations of the Member States, the Government of the Netherlands will confirm its generous offer thereby facilitating the decision as to whether a tailor made or an existing building in The Hague is to be preferred.

8. The work of the Expert Group on Technical Cooperation and Assistance is going through a critical stage which requires to be overcome by means of political compromises to demonstrate the necessary political will to reach the balance envisaged in the Convention between the chemical weapons control activities and those activities for the promotion of international cooperation for the development of chemical industries for exclusively peaceful purposes.

9. During the coming days the Commission will also receive the reports of a further 10 Expert Groups which will indicate the progress achieved in carrying out their tasks, for example the Expert Group on Inspection Procedures and the Expert Group on Data Systems. There are, however, areas in which it has not been possible to make progress with the work. In particular, the Expert Group on Chemical Weapons Issues and the Expert Group on Old and Abandoned Chemical Weapons will have to intensify their efforts in the coming months.

10. We shall also have to bear in mind in our work the broader picture of the problems of the non proliferation of weapons of mass destruction in all their aspects. Chemical weapons issues, here in The Hague, form part of a much broader action. The Convention is both the product of a new era in international relations and the precursor of other negotiations on disarmament. It is therefore necessary for the Technical Secretariat and the Member States to make every effort to ensure that what is done here, particularly with reference to the complex verification regime, serves as an example of what should be done and not as a discouraging precedent for other negotiations.

11. I am grateful to the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean that are signatories to the Chemical Weapons Convention and to the other members of this Preparatory Commission for the support given to the candidature of Mexico to preside over the work of the Preparatory Commission for a period of six months as a representative of my Regional Group. I also congratulate the representatives of Colombia, the Republic of Korea, South Africa, Ukraine and the United States of America on their election as Vice-Chairmen during the same period. I am also grateful to the Executive Secretary for the valuable assistance he has provided to me in facilitating my work as Chairman.

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