News

Tracking Number:  198804

Title:  "Review Conference Strengthens Biological Weapons Ban." Michael Moodie, Assistant Director of the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency Bureau for Multilateral Affairs, told the final plenary meeting of the three-week conference in Geneva that he was "satisfied" with the implementation of the ban. (910927)

Translated Title:  Armes biologiques: fin de l'examen de la convention. (910927)
Author:  NEWMANN, ROBIN (USIA STAFF WRITER)
Date:  19910927

Text:
*POL504

09/27/91 REVIEW CONFERENCE STRENGTHENS BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS BAN (U.S. satisfied with conference results) (710) By Robin Newmann USIA European Correspondent

Geneva -- The third review conference of the 1972 Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention has taken "very important steps" toward strengthening the convention, according to the chief U.S. delegate.

Michael Moodie, assistant director of the U.S. Arms Control and Disarmament Agency (ACDA) bureau for multilateral affairs, told the final plenary meeting of the three-week conference in Geneva September 27, that he was "satisfied" with the review conference's results, notably strengthening the implementation of the ban.

"We have reaffirmed the convention as a staunch international standard with respect to biological and toxin weapons and as an essential contribution to international peace and security," Moodie said in a final statement to the conference.

"In light of concerns during the gulf war that the world might witness the scourge of biological weapons, we here felt a greater urgency to broaden participation in and strengthen the implementation of the convention," he said. "We succeeded."

The convention prohibits the development, production and stockpiling of biological (bacteriological) and toxin weapons. However, apart from confidence-building measures to deter illegal biological activities, the convention has no real verification measures because of the difficulty of distinguishing between biological agents used for medical and pharmaceutical purposes and those for biological warfare purposes.

Moodie said the conference had agreed on a package of enhanced confidence-building measures "that will significantly increase the transparency and openness of biological activities related to the convention and thus strengthen its implementation."

According to the final document, the review conference extended the requirements for the nearly 120 parties to exchange data on biological research centers and laboratories to also cover national biological defense research and development programs. It also calls on all parties to ensure that biological agents, toxins, weapons, equipment or means of delivery are not transferred to other

GE 2 POL504 countries if they might be used for illegal purposes under the convention, and for parties to declare their past activities in offensive or defensive biological research and development programs, as well as their vaccine production facilities (which can also be used for production of biological weapons agents).

The United States "thinks these efforts represent a remarkable step forward," Moodie said.

Moodie said the conference also served as a "rallying point" for reactions to violations of the biological weapons ban. "As part of our recommitment to the convention, the conference also made clear its insistence on compliance with its obligations," he said.

At the beginning of the review conference, the United States and several other countries mentioned the violations of the ban by Iraq and the Soviet Union through their extensive biological weapons programs. The final document said the "continued non-compliance...could undermine confidence in the convention."

The United States also agreed to the setting up of an "ad hoc group of governmental experts to identify and examine potential verification measures from a scientific and technical standpoint," Moodie said. Although restating the U.S. belief that the nature of biological agents makes the convention "not effectively verifiable," Moodie said the United States would "participate actively and constructively" in the group's work.

According to the United Kingdom delegation, which originally proposed the establishment of the group, the group will first meet in Geneva March 30-April 10, 1992, with subsequent additional meetings as necessary, and preferably complete its work before the end of 1993.

Moodie noted that the conference had also called on parties that had not already done so to adopt measures, including penal legislation, to prohibit the proliferation of biological and toxin weapons.

"We believe that these measures, too, if effectively implemented, will serve our common goal of the complete eradication of these horrific weapons," he said.

Moodie said the United States intends to cooperate with other states-parties in exchanging research and scientific information on developments in the field of biotechnology, genetic engineering, and microbiology for peaceful purposes, as called for in the final document.

"My delegation leaves this conference satisfied that we have fulfilled the objective set three weeks ago to review thoroughly and comprehensively the operation of the

GE 3 POL504 biological weapons convention in a serious, constructive, and cooperative manner," Moodie said. NNNN