Romania welcomes passage of decision addressing the threat from chemical weapons use

Romania's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE) has welcomed the passage in The Hague of the decision of the Decision Addressing the Threat from Chemical Weapons Use by the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) Conference of States Parties.

According to MAE, the Special Conference of States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention ended with the passage of a Decision Addressing the Threat from Chemical Weapons Use.

At a conference held in The Hague, June 26 and 27, Romania was represented by a delegation headed by Secretary of State for Euro-Atlantic Bilateral and Strategic Affairs George Ciamba.

Romania joined 30 more countries that co-sponsored the UK-initiated decision.

''The decision says that whenever a chemical weapons use occurs on the territory of a state party, those who were the perpetrators, organisers, sponsors or otherwise involved should be identified, and underscores the added value of the secretariat conducting an independent investigation of an alleged use of chemical weapons with a view to facilitating universal attribution of all chemical weapons attacks. The decision also expresses support and appreciation for the professional, impartial, and independent work of the Director-General and the Secretariat to achieve the object and purpose of the Convention," according to MAE.

Romania was among the states parties - Australia, Bulgaria, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, Poland, Romania, the United States and the United Kingdom - who called for the special conference to be convened to address the concerns raised by the alarming increase in the number of cases of use of chemical weapons, most recently in Syria, Iraq, Malaysia and the United Kingdom.

The Chemical Weapons Convention is the first international treaty in the field of disarmament that provides for the complete elimination of an entire category of weapons of mass destruction. The convention, which now comprises 193 states parties, entered into force on April 29, 1997 and its depositary is the UN secretary-general.

For the purpose of implementing the provisions of the convention, the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, based in The Hague, whose members are the states parties, was established upon its entry into force.

Romania signed the Chemical Weapons Convention on the first day of its opening for signature on January 13, 1993, and ratified it on December 9, 1994 - under Law 125/1994 - with the instruments of ratification being lodged with the UN secretary general on February 15, 1995. The convention was implemented in Romania by Law 56/1997, amended and supplemented in 2004. AGERPRES (RO - author: Georgiana Tanasescu, editor: Andreea Rotaru; EN - author: Corneliu-Aurelian Colceriu, editor: Adina Panaitescu)