Chemical Weapons Convention reviewing

The Third Special Session of the Conference of the States Parties to Review the Operation of the Chemical Weapons Convention review progress in carrying out this decision, with a view to ensuring its effective implementation. 

The OPCW Central Analytical Database (OCAD) is compiled and maintained by the OPCW Laboratory and contains analytical data of the chemicals that fall under the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) (1). States Parties (SPs) of the CWC and the OPCW (Organization for Prohibition of the Chemical Weapons) Laboratory submit analytical data for inclusion to the OCAD. These analytical data are peer reviewed by experts. Before the analytical data are included into the OCAD, they undergo a technical and political approval process. 

This article reviews the sample preparation methods for analytical techniques used in offsite laboratories. The procedures described are from the ROPs (7) and procedures followed at the Finnish Institute for Verification of the Chemical Weapons Convention, VERIFIN. The usefulness of the methods as demonstrated in international comparison and proficiency tests is noted. 

Over the past decade, liquid chromatography combined with mass spectrometry (LC/MS) has evolved from being primarily a research tool, available in a limited number of analytical laboratories, to a robust and widely available analytical and investigative technique (1 3). It is now in widespread use in pharmaceutical, food, environmental, and forensic laboratories and is an indispensable tool in biomedical research. At the time of our previous review of this subject (4), few laboratories were using LC/MS in the analysis of chemicals relevant to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC). This was due to a number of factors, two of which were the cost of instrumentation and a perception that the technique was difficult to implement in an analytical laboratory. In the intervening years, the costs of basic LC/MS have been reduced, and the instrumentation has become robust and easier to operate. LC/MS is now a mature technique that should be considered by all laboratories that are required to analyze chemicals related to the CWC. 

For analyses of the CWC, see the issue of Disarrruiment A Periodic Review by the United Nations 16 1 (1993) devoted to the Convention Brad Roberts, ed.. The Chemical Weapons Convention Implementation Issues (Washington, DC CSIS, 1992). 

For a detailed discussion, see the report from the lUPAC Workshop, Impact of Scientific Developments on the Chemical Weapons Convention , Bergen, Norway, 30 June-3 July 2002, published in Pure and Applied Chemistry (official journal of the International Union of Pure and Apphed Chemistry), 74 12 (December 2002). See also the Note by the Director-General Report of the Scientific Advisory Board on Developments in Science and Technology , document of the First Review Conference, RC-1/ DG.2, dated 23 April 2003. 

The First Review Conference of the Chemical Weapons Convention A drafter s perspective... 

An earlier version of this chapter appeared as Robert J. Mathews, Reviewing the Chemical Weapons Convention Gently Does It , in Trevor Findlay and Kenneth Boutin (eds). Verification Yearbook 2003 (London Verification Research, Training and Information Centre, 2002), pp. 103-124. 

For a summary of the conclusions from the workshop, see Graham S. Pearson, Maximising the Security Benefits from the First Review Conference of the Chemical Weapons Convention, First CWC Review Conference Paper No. 2 (Bradford Department of Peace Studies, December 2002). 

US Delegation to the OPCW United States of America, National Statement to the First Review Conference of the Chemical Weapons Convention by Assistant Secretary of State for Arms Control, Stephen G. Rademacher, The Hague, 28 April 2003. 

The Political Declaration was a 23-paragraph document intended to be accessible to those without an in-depth understanding of the Convention or chemical weapons. See Political Declaration of the First Special Session of the Conference of the States Parties to Review the Operation of the Chemical Weapons Convention, RC-1/3, 9 May 2003 (available on the OPCW website ). 

Statement by the Russian Federation at the First Session of the Conference to Review the Functioning of the Chemical Weapons Convention. The 1 per cent destruction represents the target for the first intermediate destruction deadline, which, according to Part IV(A) of the CWC s Verification Annex, should have been met three years after entry into force. Russia was granted an extension to this deadline by the Executive Council in 2000. 

The national implementation of international chemical disarmament and non-proliferation obligations has been a key focus of the States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC). During the 2003 Review Conference for the CWC, a number of States Parties presented papers emphasizing the need for comprehensive national laws to control prohibited activities. The need for national implementation was also a central tenet of the Political Declaration of the CWC Review Conference, and was further elaborated in its Report. ... 

See, e.g., Republic of Bulgaria, National Measures for Implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention, RC-l/NAT.ll, 28 April 2003 The People s Republic of China, Report on the Implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention in China, RC-1/ NAT.2, 15 April 2003 The Republic of Cuba, Methods Adopted by the Republic of Cuba to Ensure Compliance with the Provisions of the Chemical Weapons Convention, RC-1/NAT.4, 5 May 2003 The Kingdom of Sweden, National Implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention, RC-1/NAT.27, 8 May 2003 The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, National Implementation of the Cherrtical Weapons Convention, RC-1/NAT.3, 15 April 2003 United States Delegation, CWC Review Conference National Implementation Measures, 3 March 2003 (on file with the author). 

In addition to national, state, and local regulatory review, there is also oversight required pursuant to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC). International CWC observers, commonly referred to as the Inspectorate, maintain offices on site at JACADS and TOCDF. The Inspectorate is responsible for general oversight and for ensuring that the destruction of chemicals is carried out pursuant to CWC guidelines. 

The risk to the Chemical Weapons Convention from incapacitating chemicals is addressed in Malcolm R. Dando, The Danger to the Chemical Weapons Convention from Incapacitating Chemicals, University of Bradford, Department of Peace Studies, First CWC Review Conference Paper No. 4, March 2003 (available at http //www.brad.ac.uk/acad/scwc). 

It is generally agreed that the community of practising chemists and their professional societies played an important positive role in the negotiation of the Chemical Weapons Convention. This positive role has continued, with the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) making a major contribution on scientific developments for the 2003 First Review Conference of the CWC. More recently, IUPAC had joined with the OPCW in its efforts to develop new educational aids to inform the profession of the importance of the CWC. 

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