Bahrain attends meeting in The Hague

The Kingdom of Bahrain is taking part in the Third Special Session of the Conference of the States Parties to Review the Operation of the Chemical Weapons Convention being held in the Hague from April 8 to 19. The Kingdom’s delegation is headed by Ambassador the European Union, Ahmed Mohammed Al Dossary, and comprises the membership of the Bahrain Defence Force, Interior Ministry, Health Ministry and Customs Affairs. The conference is reviewing the International Convention that took place in January 1993 and entered into force in April 1997, as well as following up on the commitment of state-parties and signatories to its articles in terms of not using chemical weapons in armed conflict as well as the emphasis on non-production and stockpiling of chemical weapons. In this regard, participants affirm the importance of implementing all the terms of the agreement, particularly item 11, which demands the help of countries that manufacture these weapons to convert their factories to produce chemicals for peaceful use without affecting them economically. Developing countries also re-affirm the importance of supporting the required technologies to convert these factories to peaceful uses. Participants are demanding that countries that still maintain a stock of chemical weapons to quickly destroy and dispose of them as well as join the Convention.