Written Answers. - Biological Weapons Systems.
Ray Burke
Ceist:
28
Mr. R. Burke
asked the
Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs
the Government's and the EU's response to reports that at least 12 states, including China, members of the former Soviet Union, and Iraq, are suspected of having active biological weapons systems; and the steps, if any, which have been taken by the Government in its capacity as EU President to ensure that the 1972 global agreement on biological weapons is enforced by establishing an international monitoring mechanism as suggested by Mr. John Holm, of the United States Arms Control and Disarmament Agency.
[24786/96]
The Biological and Toxin Weapons convention 1972 prohibits the development, production, stockpiling, acquisition and retention of biological weapons. Ireland ratified the convention in 1972 and it now has 138 States Parties. While the convention embodies the key prohibitions on biological weapons, it does not contain a verification mechanism to monitor States Parties' compliance with their obligations under the convention. Comprehensive verification systems have since been elaborated for such important arms control and disarmament measures as the Chemical Weapons convention and the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. In the field of weapons of mass destruction, the Biological and Toxin Weapons convention is the only major disarmament measures still lacking a verification system.
As indicated in my replies to related questions on 30 May and 30 October, the States Parties to the Biological and Toxin Weapons convention agreed in 1994 to establish anad hoc group with a mandate to consider measures, including verification measures, designed to strengthen the convention. Significantly, the impetus for this decision included the admission in 1992 by President Yeltsin that the former Soviet Union had conducted a biological weapons programme and reports from UNSCOM inspectors that Iraq had developed a biological weapons programme before the Gulf War. The Deputy's question cites reports that other countries are suspected of having active biological weapons systems. The response of the EU to concerns about non-compliance has been to establish the ad hoc group with the agreement of all the States Parties and to work actively for the successful completion of the group's mandate by the adoption of a Protocol which would equip the convention with a mechanism for monitoring compliance.
In June 1996 the EU adopted a Common Position on its preparations for the Fourth Review Conference of the States Parties to the Convention which took place from 25 November-6 December 1996 in Geneva. Under this Common Position, the EU is committed to seeking an intensification of the negotiations in 1997 and 1998 with a view to securing agreement on a legally binding verification Protocol to the convention my mid 1998. In September 1996, speaking at the UN General Assembly, President Clinton supported the completion of the negotiations by 1998.
Thead hoc group has met five times since September 1994, including twice during the Irish Presidency of the EU, in July and September 1996. At the July meeting Ireland, on behalf of the EU, tabled six working papers to the group, the first time that EU papers had been tabled in this forum. Over the course of the Irish Presidency, the EU's contribution to the work of the group has developed considerably and the Union has played a key role in seeking to advance the initiative. In September 1996 the group, following strong pressure from Ireland, other EU member states and the US, decided to intensify its work in 1997 and has allocated nine weeks for negotiations over the first nine months of 1997. By September 1996 the group had identified the preliminary framework for such a verification Protocol.
At the Fourth Review Conference of the State Parties to the Biological and Toxin Weapons convention, the Minister for Employment and Law Reform, Deputy Taylor, speaking on behalf of the EU, noted that evidence indicates that not all biological weapons programmes have been abandoned. He also noted that issues of serious concern relating to the observance of the Convention had arisen since the Third Review Conference in 1991. The EU statement to the Review Conference called for the conclusion of the negotiations on a verification Protocol by mid-1998 and set out in detail the EU's views on the possible contents of the Protocol. A copy of the Minister's address to the review conference has been placed in the Library for the information of Deputies. The Fourth Review conference encouraged thead hoc group to move to a negotiating format in order to fulfil its mandate. Ireland will continue to participate in the work of the ad hoc group with a view to facilitating early agreement on a legally binding verification Protocol to the 1972 convention.
