Chemical weapons destruction facilities

The role of S A at a Chemical Weapons Destruction Facility (CWDF) is different than in other types of inspections. At a CWDF, the main objective of S A is to confirm the identity of a particular chemical that has been declared, that is, the declared chemical agent that is being destroyed. Further,... 

Systematic on-site verification measures at chemical weapons destruction facilities... 

Inspectors shall have the right to tag, for sampling, munitions, devices, or containers located in the temporary holding areas at the chemical weapons destruction facilities. 

Can the technology be implemented within 3 to 5 years Yes. Already has been implemented in Belgium. Yes. Already has been implemented in Japan. Yes. Being implemented at German government chemical weapon destruction facility. Yes, in full use now. 

CW munitions continue to be recovered from former battlefields in Western Europe, usually after having been discovered by farmers or construction crews. Evidence for the presence of approximately 700,(X)0 CW munitions - 90 % of which are located in Harbaling province - has been confirmed (during World War II Japan used chemical weapons in China) [16]. In 2007 China and Japan were continuing work on a programme to construct a chemical weapon destruction facility... 

Major considerations at chemical weapon destruction facilities (CWDFs) include (a) throughput (i.e., amount of agent and number of munitions that can be safely processed), (b) follow-on treatment of off-gases and other waste products, (c) disposal... 

Each State Party shall, immediately after the declaration under Article III, paragraph 1 (a), has been submitted, provide access to chemical weapons specified in paragraph 1 for the purpose of systematic verification of the declaration through on-site inspection. Thereafter, each State Party shall not remove any of these chemical weapons, except to a chemical weapons destruction facility. It shall provide access to such chemical weapons, for the purpose of systematic on-site verification. 

Each State Party shall provide access to any chemical weapons destruction facilities and their storage areas, that it owns or possesses, or that are located in any place under its jurisdiction or control, for the purpose of systematic verification through on-site inspection and monitoring with on-site instruments. 

Facility agreements shall be completed not later than 180 days after this Convention enters into force for the State Party or after the facility has been declared for the first time, except for a chemical weapons destruction facility to which paragraphs 5 to 7 shall apply. 

For each existing or planned chemical weapons destruction facility ... 

Each State Party shall ensure that its chemical weapons destruction facilities are constructed and operated in a manner to ensure the destruction of the chemical weapons and that the destruction process can be verified under the provisions of this Convention. 

The detailed site diagram for each chemical weapons destruction facility and any changes to previously submitted diagrams and... 

The detailed schedule of activities for each chemical weapons destruction facility for the upcoming year, identifying time required for design, construction or modification of the facility, installation of equipment, equipment check-out and operator training, destruction operations for each specific type of chemical weapon, and scheduled periods of inactivity. 

A State Party shall provide, for each of its chemical weapons destruction facilities, detailed facility information to assist the Technical Secretariat in developing preliminary inspection procedures for use at the facility. 

After a review of the detailed facility information for each destruction facility, the Technical Secretariat, if the need arises, shall enter into consultation with the State Party concerned in order to ensure that its chemical weapons destruction facilities are designed to assure the destruction of chemical weapons, to allow advanced planning on how verification measures may be applied and to ensure that the application of verification measures is consistent with proper facility operation, and that the facility operation allows appropriate verification. 

The Technical Secretariat shall conduct an initial visit to each chemical weapons destruction facility of the inspected State Party not less than 240 days before each facility begins destruction operations pursuant to this Convention, to allow it to familiarize itself with the facihty and assess the adequacy of the inspection plan. 

The detailed facility agreements for chemical weapons destruction facilities shall specify, taking into account the specific characteristics of the destruction facility and its mode of... 

As soon and as long as chemical weapons are stored at chemical weapons storage facilities located at chemical weapons destruction facilities, these storage facilities shall be subject to systematic verification in conformity with the relevant facility agreements. 

The inspectors shall be granted access to conduct their activities at the chemical weapons destruction facilities and the chemical weapons storage facilities located at such facilities during the entire active phase of destruction. 

At each chemical weapons destruction facility, to provide assurance that no chemical weapons are diverted and that the destruction process has been completed, inspectors shall have the right to verify through their physical presence and monitoring with on-site instruments ... 

Have unimpeded access to all parts of the chemical weapons destruction facilities and the chemical weapons storage facilities located at such facilities, including any munitions, devices, bulk containers, or other containers, therein. The items to be inspected shall be chosen by the inspectors in accordance with the verification plan that has been agreed to by the inspected State Party and approved by the Executive Council ... 

For each chemical weapons production facility that a State Party intends to convert temporarily into a chemical weapons destruction facility, the State Party shall supply the following information ... 

Chemical weapons production facdities converted into chemical weapons destruction facilities before entry into force of this Convention shall be declared imder the category of chemical weapons production facilities. 

Should a State Party have the need to convert to a chemical weapons destruction facility an additional chemical weapons production facdity that had been closed after this Convention entered into force for it, it shall inform the Technical Secretariat thereof not less than 150 days before conversion. The Technical Secretariat, in conjimction with the State Party, shall make sure that the necessary measures are taken to render that facility, after its conversion, inoperable as a chemical weapons production facdity. 

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