Technical Change to Chemical Weapons Convention Enters into Force: Provisions for Conversion of Former Chemical Weapons Production Facilities Reinforced

On 14 October, 2004, the 38th Session of the Executive Council of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) recommended the adoption of a technical change to the Verification Annex of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) to all States Parties. The technical change provides any State that has recently joined the CWC, or will join in future, the possibility to convert its chemical weapons production facilities to peaceful purposes. Prior to this change, the CWC had foreseen that all such conversions should have been completed not later than six years after entry into force of the Convention, i.e. prior to before 29 April 2003.

In accordance with the provisions of the Convention, the Director-General of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), Ambassador Rogelio Pfirter, has notified all States Parties the change to the Convention has been approved and has entered into force.

Henceforth, the following paragraph will be inserted after paragraph 72 in Part V of the Verification Annex of the CWC:

"(72 bis) If a State ratifies or accedes to this Convention after the six-year period for conversion set forth in paragraph 72, the Executive Council shall, at its second subsequent regular session, set a deadline for submission of any request to convert a chemical weapons production facility for purposes not prohibited under this Convention. A decision by the Conference to approve such a request, pursuant to paragraph 75, shall establish the earliest practicable deadline for completion of the conversion. Conversion shall be completed as soon as possible, but in no case later than six years after this Convention enters into force for the State Party. Except as modified in this paragraph, all provisions in Section D of this Part of this Annex shall apply."

With the entrance into force of this technical change, the conversion of the former chemical weapons production capacity declared by the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya to purposes not prohibited by the Convention is approved.

To verify that the facility is being used solely for peaceful purposes, OPCW inspectors will conduct systematic inspections of all converted facilities, both during the conversion process and over a ten-year period after completion.

The converted facility in Libya will produce vaccines and medicines to combat diseases such as HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis. These pharmaceuticals will be distributed on the African continent.

The option to convert former chemical weapons production capacity is now extended to any State that may join the Convention in future. This possibility serves as an additional incentive to the twenty-seven States have not yet acceded or ratified the CWC to do so as soon as possible.

01/2005

Categories: Disarmament