Luanda - Wednesday, July 26, 2006 - 5:44:46 PM

African experts focus chemical weapons ban treaty

Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, 07/26 - Fifteen West and Central African countries that ratified the International convention on the ban of chemical weapons began meeting Tuesday in Ouagadougou to examine the difficulties encountered in the transposition of this convention on national legislation.

The International convention on the ban of chemical weapons, which came into force in 1997, bans the development, production, acquisition, storage and use of these harmful agents.

It also demands the destruction of stocks of chemical weapons available and their manufacturing installations.

"The aim of this meeting is to provide practical assistance on various legal issues related to the implementation of that convention," said Nigerian Elias Olufemi, representative of the Director of the Organisation for the ban of chemical weapons (OIAC).

In conformity with this agreement, state parties have put in place national authorities for the implementation and monitoring of the Convention.

But the Co-ordinator of the technical Secretariat of the National authority for the convention on chemical weapons in Burkina Faso (STANCAC), Pr Abdourame Barry, said "the national authorities have noted stiff difficulties in the implementation of the convention despite very strong political commitment".

According to him, in this agreement, each State processes "in a confidential and particular way" the information and data which it receives from OIAC.

"It was necessary to exert every effort to move forward in the implementation of the convention in our region," Barry added.

To date, 160 countries in the world, including the quasi-totality of African States with the exception of Angola, Somalia, the Central African Republic and DR Congo have ratified the international convention on chemical weapons.

According to Tharcisse Midouzi, director of legal affairs at the Burundian ministry of external affairs and international cooperation, Burundi which has neither chemical weapons nor any project in that sector, nevertheless subscribed to this convention preventatively.

"Burundi has no chemical weapons, but in view of the harmfulness of these weapons and the easiness with which one can get them, we found it necessary to ratify this provision which enables us to control the movement of certain toxic products," Midouzi said in Ouagadougou.

African countries mainly intend to draw scientific and technological, industrial, economic, diplomatic, political, military advantages, based on assistance and scientific and technical cooperation contained in this international convention on chemical weapons.

The burkinabS minister of higher education and scientific research, Joseph Par`, who presided over the opening ceremony, urged participants to work on national legislation, but also on administrative measures that will facilitate the daily implementation of the convention.

"The implementation of these measures is a contribution to peace and stability on the African continent and in the world," he said, adding that Africa needs peace and stability and that it is committed in that direction".