Chemical weapons status

Ibid., pp.41-4, 51 see also US GAO, Chemical Weapons Status of the Army s M687 Binary Program, GAO/NSIAD-90-295 (September 1990). 

U.S. Army. 2000a. Annual Status Report on the Disposal of Chemical Weapons and Materiel for Fiscal Year 2000, September 30. Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD Program Manager for Chemical Demilitarization. 

For the current membership and its status, see http //www.opcw.org, the official website of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons based in The Hague. 

S.J. Ledogar and Brig-Gen. W.L. Busbee, Statements included in Hearings... Status of 1990 Bilateral Chemical Weapons Agreement, pp.8, 13. 

G. F. Seib, Bush Pledges U.S. Won t Use Chemical Arms , The Wall Street Journal, 14 May 1991, p.A3 Ledogar, Statement included in Hearings... Status of1990 Bilateral Chemical Weapons Agreement, p.5. 

Committee on Foreign Relations, Status of 1990 Bilateral Chemical Weapons Agreement and Multilateral Negotiation on Chemical Weapons Ban, 102nd Congress, first session, 22 May 1991. 

Noting the progress already made in, and the present status of, the destruction of chemical weapons ... 

Libyan Arab Jamahiriya of its Category 1 chemical weapons stockpiles phase 1 (1%), to be completed by 1 May 2010 phase 2 (20%), to be completed by 1 July 2010 and phase 3 (45%), to be completed by 1 November 2010, on the understanding that, up until 29 April 2007, the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya shall keep the Council informed, at each alternate regular session and with supporting documentation, of the status of its plans to implement its destruction obligations and... 

After the initial notification, the State Party shall document the status of the temporary conversion of the chemical weapons production facility in the plans that it provides pursuant to paragraphs 6 and 29 of Part IV(A) of the Verification Annex. 

Further recalling that at its Fourth Session, the Conference took cognisance of the status of consultations on a draft decision on the model facility agreement for chemical weapons destruction facilities (C-IV/DEC/CRP.30, dated 2 July 1999), and recommended that the Council should consider this matter further with a view to reaching agreement on the text of the model facility agreement, and to elaborating a reeommendation to the Fifth Conferenee for its adoption. 

The First Review Conference reviewed the progress made in the field of conversion of former CW production facilities for purposes not prohibited by the Convention. The First Review Conference confirmed the States Parties commitment to complete conversion as early as possible and to keep the Secretariat and the Council informed about the progress being made. The First Review Conference noted the intention of the Secretariat to inspect, soon after 29 April 2003, all chemical weapons production facihties that are subject to conversion for purposes not prohibited by the Convention, but that have not yet been certified as completely converted, and to report to the Coimcil about the conversion status of each of these facilities. 

In recent years some research has been undertaken on the development of other non-intrusive techniques for determining the contents and status of munitions. These include neutron activation analysis, ultrasonics and acoustic resonance techniques. Whilst primarily aimed at the Russian and U.S stockpiles, these techniques may nevertheless also have application in the old chemical weapons field. One technique in particular has been fielded and successfully used by U.S. EOD teams on a number of occasions over the last two years. This device, which is based on the use of photon-induced neutron spectroscopy (PINS), makes it possible to identify the presence or absence of the elements phosphorus, sulphur, chlorine, fluorine and arsenic within the munition. Clearly this information not only helps to identify the presence of a chemical fill, but in many circumstances also means it is possible to identify the fill. The development of more and improved techniques of non-destructive analysis will be a major factor in the development of safer techniques for the recovery and disposal of these old munitions. 

The site audit enables the environmental status of a site being used for the destruction of chemical weapons to be monitored. It can also be used once the destruction has been successfully completed, to help restore the site for other uses, and, when appropriate, to enable solutions for its restoration to be recommended. 

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