(26 - 30 September 1994)

NOTE BY THE DELEGATION OF ISRAEL TO THE CHAIRMAN OF THE PREPARATORY COMMISSION

The delegation of Israel requests the Chairman of the Preparatory Commission for the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, to take note that it has been prevented from participating in formal meetings of the inter-laboratory comparison tests, held in The Hague on 21-22 September 1994.

The PTS has explained this policy by saying that these meetings were deliberately closed for Member States whose national laboratories did not take part in the inter-laboratory comparison tests.

In view of the explanation given, the delegation of Israel cannot accept such practice in the Organisation, where there are Member States that are being excluded from formal activities of the Preparatory Commission.

The delegation of Israel welcomes the alteration of this policy, as had been reported to the Commission by the Executive Secretary in the opening of the Eighth Session on 26 September 1994, but reserve its right to consider any OPCW document or resolution, mentioning or taking into account, the 1994 inter-laboratory comparison tests activities and/or results.

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