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History. Major efforts to eliminate
chemical weapons (CW) as a tool of warfare can be traced to the early
20th century. During World War I, chemical weapons were used
extensively in combat for the first time. Although their strategic impact
remains debatable, these weapons inflicted a significant percentage of
casualties (although the number of fatalities was relatively low). Following the
war, many nations gathered to outlaw the use of chemical weapons, resulting in
the 1925 Geneva Protocol prohibiting the use (but not production, stockpiling,
or transfer) of chemical weapons. However, since World War I, there have been
several incidents of CW
use, most notably during the
Iran-Iraq War. As a result, states have sought a stronger and more comprehensive
agreement to prevent future uses of chemical weapons.
Entering into force on April 29, 1997, the
Chemical Weapons
Convention (CWC) bans the development, production, acquisition, stockpiling,
transfer, and use of chemical weapons. Any country is eligible to join the CWC,
and as of August 2007
182 countries are
members of the treaty. Although the treaty has had remarkable success in
destroying chemical weapons stockpiles and CW production facilities, the treaty
faces significant challenges in its continuing mission to rid the world of chemical weapons.
OPCW headquarters, The Hague, Netherlands.
Source: www.opcw.org
Structure and Membership. The CWC has
an extensive verification and enforcement mechanism built around a central
oversight body, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical
Weapons (OPCW). This mechanism includes
the active monitoring of commercial chemical facilities and the ability to
conduct routine and challenge inspections of members' chemical facilities
of interest. Based in the Hague, the OPCW is responsible for verification and is
mandated by the CWC to enforce the treaty's provisions and assist member
states in implementation. Within the OPCW, there are three main bodies: the
Conference of the States Parties, a universal body that sets policy; the
Executive Council, a group of 41 state representatives who assist in guiding
policy; and the Technical Secretariat, which is responsible for day-to-day
administration and monitoring. Additionally, the OPCW holds regular review
conferences to discuss scientific and technological developments and analyze how
these developments affect the implementation of the treaty.
Membership in the CWC is open to any state
and is non-discriminatory. Therefore, all states that join have the same rights
and responsibilities, and thus no member state is given special status to retain CW.
Iraqi bombs filled with mustard gas, a schedule 1 chemical agent.
Source: www.nato.int
Classification of Chemical Agents and Chemical Precursors.
Under the CWC, members must declare
and eliminate certain chemical agents. One of the major responsibilities of the
OPCW is to categorize these chemical agents according to their military and
commercial utility. This classification system, in turn, requires treaty members
to eliminate chemical agents that could be potentially used as weapons while
allowing them to continue to produce chemical agents that are essential for
commercial goods. According to the "Annex on
Chemicals," chemical agents and their ingredients (called "precursors") are divided into three "schedules":
- Schedule 1 chemical
agents have little or no commercial uses, and thus are almost certain to be used
as weapons (e.g., mustard gas).
- Schedule 2 chemical
agents could potentially be weaponized but also have some legitimate, although
limited, commercial uses (e.g., insecticides).
- Schedule 3 chemical
agents have common commercial use but could also be weaponized (e.g., phosgene)
or used to create schedule 1 or schedule 2
chemicals.
To assist in the destruction of declared CW, the treaty further classifies chemical
weapons into three categories:
- Category 1 weapons
include munitions (bombs, grenades, canisters, etc.) that contain schedule 1
chemical agents, as well as schedule 1 agents themselves.
- Category 2 weapons
include munitions and CW created from non-schedule 1 agents.
- Category 3 weapons
include unfilled munitions and equipment designed to deliver chemical
weapons.
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