| Preparatory Commission for the |
PC-IX/B/4 |
| Organisation for the Prohibition |
7 December 1994 |
| of Chemical Weapons |
Original: ENGLISH |
Ninth Session
(5 - 9 December 1994)
WORKING GROUP B
REPORT
1. Introduction
1.1 Working Group B on Verification and Technical Cooperation and Assistance, under the chairmanship of Mr. Sylwin Gizowski of Poland, held four meetings on 6 and 7 December 1994 to receive the Reports of the Expert Groups under its purview and to take appropriate action.
1.2 Working Group B adopted its agenda as contained in PC-IX/B/3.
2. Training
2.1 Working Group B received the Sixth Report of the Expert Group on Training (PC-IX/B/WP.1). The Report was presented by Mr. Behnam Behrooz of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Chairman of the Expert Group.
2.2 Working Group B requested the Secretariat:
(a) to continue to assess alternative and complementary training options to national offers of M2 and M3 training, and to prepare a detailed analysis of the costs of these alternative options for presentation to the next scheduled meeting of the Group; and
(b) to conduct an assessment of various cost-effective measures, with a view to reporting to the Group at its next scheduled meeting on the practical and educational effects of such measures for further discussion.
2.3 Working Group B requested the Executive Secretary to urge Member States, particularly those possessing suitable facilities, to make additional formal training offers against shortages in M2 and M3 training offers. The Executive Secretary was also requested to invite Member States to consider providing suitably qualified instructors to assist the Secretariat in such training as a contingency against the possibility that the Secretariat may be required to teach certain M2 sub-modules.
2.4 Working Group B accepted 1 February 1995 as the deadline for the submission of training offers, including complete certification information sets and the cost to the Secretariat of M2 or M3 training.
2.5 Working Group B noted the assessment made by the Secretariat of inspector candidate qualifications, and recommended that no exemption be offered to trainees from attending General Training Scheme modules and sub-modules.
2.6 Working Group B authorised the Expert Group on Training to forward the revised training cost estimate directly to the Expert Group on Programme of Work and Budget for consideration.
3. Chemical Industry Issues
3.1 Working Group B received the Seventh Report of the Expert Group on Chemical Industry Issues (PC-IX/B/WP.2 and Corr.1 and Corr.2). The Report was presented by Mr. Adam Noble of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the Chairman of the Expert Group.
3.2 Working Group B requested Member States to provide the Secretariat with comments on the current draft of the Industry section of the Declaration Handbook by the end of January 1995 on the understanding that:
(a) this section will be updated by the Secretariat to include the results of any further solutions developed by the Expert Group on Chemical Industry Issues during future meetings;
(b) this updated version will form the basis for the trial declaration exercise to be conducted by the Secretariat with participation of interested Member States in the early part of 1995;
(c) the Secretariat will propose any recommendations as they may result from that trial declaration exercise for incorporation into a final draft; and
(d) the final version of the Industry section of the Declaration Handbook, together with all its other sections, will need to be considered by the Expert Group on Chemical Industry Issues and agreed upon by the Commission in time to allow distribution to future States Parties in all languages of the Commission well in advance of the entry into force of the Convention.
3.3 Working Group B noted the Secretariat's intent to complete the issuing of the current draft of the Declaration Handbook in all official languages of the Commission by the end of December 1994.
4. Inspection Procedures
4.1 Working Group B received the Fifth Report of the Expert Group on Inspection Procedures (PC-IX/B/WP.3). The Report was presented by Mr. Sergei Kisselev of the Russian Federation, the Chairman of the Expert Group.
4.2 Working Group B approved the document "Proficiency Testing Leading to Certification of 'Designated Laboratories'" and forwarded it to the Commission for adoption. Working Group B noted that the Secretariat had, on 22 November 1994, requested Member States to forward proposals for the criteria on the basis of which the performance of participants in the proficiency testing leading to the certification of designated laboratories should be evaluated. It requested the Secretariat to communicate to all Member States, in advance of the first trial proficiency test in January/February 1995, recommended criteria for acceptable performance in proficiency testing compiled with due regard to the relevant proposals received from Member States. Following that test, a specialist Task Force should meet to draft a final set of criteria for consideration by this Expert Group and subsequent approval by the Commission and for use in future proficiency tests.
4.3 Working Group B requested the Secretariat to:
(a) prepare the comprehensive draft mentioned in paragraph 5 of PC-IX/B/WP.3, using the format from Appendix 1 of PC-IV/B/WP.7 and the list of equipment as currently contained in the Annex to PC-VIII/A/WP.7 and to present it to this Expert Group in due time.
(b) develop an analysis of major risks which OPCW inspectors will be likely to face on inspections, and to offer possible approaches to minimising these risks, and to present it to this Expert Group in due time;
(c) continue work on the issue of the use of approved OPCW portable communications equipment during on-site inspection, taking into account any comments submitted to it by Member States, with a view to providing the updated draft for consideration by the Expert Group during the next intersessional period; and
(d) prepare, on the basis of the discussion paper submitted by the Secretariat, a possible draft understanding on the status of "experts" in the context of investigations of alleged use in regard to privileges and immunities, to be submitted in time for the Expert Group on Inspection Procedures to reach agreement on a recommendation at its next meeting.
4.4 Working Group B requested the Legal Adviser of the Commission to provide, in due time before the next meeting of the Expert Group, an opinion on the relationship between Parts X and XI of the Verification Annex if an investigation of the alleged use of chemical weapons were initiated pursuant to Article IX.
4.5 Working Group B invited Member States to:
(a) relay further comments to the Secretariat in relation to the issue of the use of approved OPCW portable communications equipment during on-site inspection, by 15 January 1995. Member States were also encouraged to indicate to the Secretariat any specific national problems they may have in this regard, and, together with the Secretariat, to initiate as soon as possible a process that would facilitate the future use of OPCW communications equipment on their territory;
(b) study the proposal that the OPCW adopt a single standard geographic reference system such as WGS 84, in order to enable a decision on this issue by the Expert Group on Inspection Procedures at its next meeting; and
(c) review the Secretariat background paper on equipment procurement and to provide the Secretariat with any comments on it.
5. Technical Cooperation and Assistance
5.1 Working Group B received the Sixth Report of the Expert Group on Technical Cooperation and Assistance (PC-IX/B/WP.4). The Report was presented by Mr. Sarvajit Chakravarti of India, the Chairman of the Expert Group.
5.2 Working Group B recommended that the Commission approve the revised curriculum for courses for personnel of National Authorities as contained in the Annex to PC-IX/B/WP.4.
6. Confidentiality
Working Group B received the Fifth Report of the Expert Group on Confidentiality (PC-IX/B/WP.6). The Report was presented by Mr. Antony Taubman of Australia, the Chairman of the Expert Group.
7. Chemical Weapons Issues
7.1 Working Group B received the Third Report of the Expert Group on Chemical Weapons Issues (PC-IX/B/WP.10). The Report was presented by Mr. Sylwin Gizowski of Poland, the Chairman of the Expert Group, who was assisted on CW storage issues by Mr. Ian Mundell on behalf of LCol James Knapp of Canada.
7.2 Working Group B requested the Group to return to the model facility agreement on chemical weapons storage facilities upon the resolution of the outstanding areas mentioned in subparagraph 3.2 of the Expert Group Report, in particular the OPCW Policy on Confidentiality and a range of issues related to the use of inspection equipment.
8. Proposed plan of activities of Expert Groups under Working Group B for the period December 1994 - April 1995
Working Group B amended and approved the definition of tasks and the listing of documents for the meetings of Expert Groups under the purview of Working Group B as contained in the Proposed Plan of Activities and Schedule of Meetings submitted to the meeting (PC-IX/7), and referred the amended definition of tasks and the listing of documents to the Commission for approval.
9. Any other business
Safety Procedures
9.1 Working Group B received the Summary of Informal Consultations of the Expert Group on Safety Procedures (PC-IX/B/WP.9) on the draft Health and Safety Regulations prepared by the Secretariat. It requested the Secretariat to present an updated draft of the Regulations well in advance of the next meeting of the Expert Group on Safety Procedures. Working Group B also decided to establish a special Task Force to address technical issues regarding the medical treatment of persons exposed to chemical agents.
Old and Abandoned Chemical Weapons
9.2 Working Group B received the Summary of the Informal Consultations on Old and Abandoned Chemical Weapons (PC-IX/B/WP.7). It requested Member States to provide comment on the revised draft regime on abandoned chemical weapons referred to in paragraph 4 of PC-IX/B/WP.7 prior to the next scheduled meeting of the Expert Group on Old and Abandoned Weapons.
First Inter-Laboratory Comparison Test Co-ordinated by the Secretariat
9.3 Working Group B received the complete Report of the First Inter-Laboratory Comparison Test Co-ordinated by the Secretariat, presented by Dr. Marjatta Rautio of Finland, Director of the Finnish Institute for the Chemical Weapons Convention, which carried out the evaluation of the test results on behalf of the Secretariat.
10. Conclusion of meeting
The Report of Working Group B was adopted, and the meeting concluded at 17:58 on 7 December 1994.
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