Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 27 Jun 1995

Vol. 455 No. 1

Written Answers. - International Agreements.

Trevor Sargent

Ceist:

44 Mr. Sargent asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if Ireland is a signatory to the NPT Treaty, the Biological Weapons Convention, the Chemical Weapons Convention, the Missile Technology Control Regime, the 1925 Geneva Protocol, the Antarctic Treaty, the Partial Test Ban, the Outer Space Treaty, the Seabed Treaty, the Environmental Modification Convention and the Inhumane Weapons Convention; and, if so, if we have ratified them. [11710/95]

Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs (Mr. Spring)

The current position with regard to each of the international agreements to which the Deputy refers is as follows—

Geneva Protocol 1925

Ireland acceded to the Protocol on the Prohibition of the Use in War of Asphyxiating Poisonous or other Gases and of Bacteriological Methods of Warfare on 29 August 1930.

The Antarctic Treaty 1959

The Antarctic Treaty, the primary purpose of which is to ensure the preservation of the Antarctic region for peaceful purposes and to avoid the spread of the arms race thereto, was concluded in Washington on 1 December 1959. Ireland is not a signatory or a party to this Treaty.

The Partial Test Ban Treaty 1963

The Treaty Banning Nuclear Weapon Tests in the Atmosphere, in Outer Space and under Water was opened for signature on 8 August 1963 and entered into force on 10 October 1963. Ireland signed the Treaty on 9 August 1963 and deposited its instrument of ratification on 20 December 1963.

The Outer Space Treaty 1967

The Treaty on the Principles governing the activities of States in the exploration and use of Outer Space including the Moon and other Celestial Bodies opened for signature on 27 January 1967 and entered into force on 10 October 1967. Ireland signed the Treaty on 27 January 1967 and ratified on 19 July 1968.

Non-Proliferation Treaty 1970

The Non-Proliferation Treaty opened for signature on 1 July 1968 and entered into force on 5 March 1970. Ireland, having had a particularly close association with it, was the first State to sign and ratify the Treaty on 4 July 1968.

The Seabed Treaty 1971

The Treaty on the Prohibition of the Emplacement of Nuclear Weapons and other Weapons of Mass Destruction on the Sea-Bed and the Ocean Floor and in the Subsoil thereof opened for signature on 11 February 1971 and entered into force on 18 May 1972. Ireland signed the Treaty on 11 February 1971 and ratified on 19 August 1971.

Biological Weapons Convention 1972

Ireland signed the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological and Toxin Weapons and on their Destruction when it opened for signature on 10 April 1972. Ireland deposited its instrument of ratification on 27 October 1972. The Treaty entered into force on 26 March 1975.

The Environmental Modification Convention 1976

The Convention on the Prohibition of Military or any other Hostile Use of Environmental Modification Techniques was adopted by the UN General Assembly on 10 December 1976. The Convention entered into force on 5 October 1978. Ireland signed the Convention on 18 May 1977 and ratified it on 16 December 1982.

The Inhumane Weapons Convention 1980

The Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons which may be Deemed to be Excessively Injurious or to Have Indiscriminate Effects was concluded at Geneva on 10 October 1980 and entered into force on 2 December 1983. Ireland signed the Convention on 10 April 1981 and deposited its instrument of ratification of the Convention on 13 March 1995.

Chemical Weapons Convention 1993

The Convention on the Prohibition of Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on their Destruction will enter into force six months after the deposit of the sixty-fifth instrument of ratification. This is unlikely to be before 1996, as only twenty-eight States have ratified the Convention to date.

Together with our partners in the European Union, Ireland was an original signatory of the CWC on 14 January 1993. The Government are currently considering the steps necessary to enable Ireland to ratify the Convention.

Missile Technology Control Regime

Ireland joined the Missile Technology Control Regime in 1992. Since the regime is not treaty-based, the questions of signature and ratification do not arise.