Global co-operation urged to tackle proliferation of chemical weapons

The delegation of the National Committee on Prohibition of Chemical Weapons Development, Production, Use and Stockpiling and their Destruction, headed by the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dr Shaikha Rana bint Isa bin Daij Al Khalifa, paid a visit to the Federal Republic of Germany as part of the National Committee’s keenness to strengthen international co-operation and exchange of expertise in the field of the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

The visit, which is the first of its kind, intended to learn about the experience of the Federal Republic of Germany in the national application of the Convention on the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and other relevant conventions. The agenda of the three-day visit included several meetings and lectures held by the Federal Foreign Office, the Federal Ministry of Defence and the Robert Koch Institute.

Dr Shaikha Rana also met the Federal Government Commissioner for Disarmament and Arms Control, Ambassador Susanne Baumann, with whom she reviewed the Federal Republic of Germany’s policy on arms limitation and non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, which constitute all the needed efforts to become an active member of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.

The delegation was also briefed on the German efforts to destroy the remaining chemical weapons in the territory of many states that had experienced wars and conflicts, clarifying the national mechanisms of the Federal Republic of Germany to ensure the implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention and the Biological Weapons Convention and the pivotal role of the Federal Foreign Office in this regard, as well as various means and mechanisms adopted by the Federal Republic of Germany to ensure the safe export and supply of dual-use materials.

The delegation of the National Committee on Prohibition of Chemical Weapons Development, Production, Use and Stockpiling and their Destruction also visited the Federal Ministry of Defence. The Federal Ministry of Defence reviewed the efforts of its representatives in implementing the Convention on the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and the Biological Weapons Convention through its collective work with the Federal Foreign Office, notably the dispatch of teams to inspect the military installations of the States parties to the above-mentioned conventions and accompany the delegations that visit Germany to conduct mutual inspections.

The delegation of the National Committee also attended a programme held at the Robert Koch Institute, which included a number of lectures on the threats of bioterrorism and the methods taken by the Federal Republic of Germany to combat this crime, including the methods of its bio-security programme.