The Second CWC Review Conference
Compiled by: Monalisa Joshi
April 7 – 18, 2008
April 7, 2008, Day 1, Monday
Director-General of the CWC’s implementing body, the OPCW, Ambassador Rogelio Pfirter reviewed the working of the CWC.
He noted that over 38 per cent of Category 1 chemical weapons had been destroyed and all 65 production facilities had been inactivated. He called Chemical Weapons destruction the “materially most difficult” challenge since 1997 for the OPCW and states parties. Two-thirds of Category 1 Chemical Weapons still needs to be destroyed by 2012.
He noted the difficulties that the US and Russia face, with more difficult areas being the Middle East and North Korea.
April 8, 2008, Day 2, Tuesday
The themes that appeared for discussion were universality, chemical weapons destruction, Article XI, industry verification, threats from terrorism, national implementation and incapacitants/riot control agents.
China stated that ‘not one piece’ of Japanese abandoned chemical weapons on its territory had been destroyed so far. Japan stated that destruction facilities would start operating in 2010 ‘if all goes smoothly’.
The Society for Chemical Weapons Victim Support (SCWVS), an Iranian NGO, put a display in the conference centre about the effects of chemical warfare in the 1980s relating to attacks on the Iranian military by Iraqi forces and attacks that took place on civilian areas.
April 9, 2008, Day 3, Wednesday
Apart from the formal closing session, all the meetings of Review Conference were now scheduled to be held behind closed doors.
Japanese side event
During lunchtime, the Japanese delegation hosted a side event which included a presentation entitled ‘Japanese ACW in China – Overview and Recent Progress’ by Masanori Nishi, Director-General, Abandoned Chemical Weapons Office, Japanese Cabinet Office.
April 10, 2008, Day 4, Thursday
The Committee of the Whole convened in the morning, with Ambassador Benchaâ Dani (Algeria) in the Chair, with the aim of starting work on drafting the text of a final declaration.
A decision was taken that the informal text should be examined on a paragraph-by-paragraph basis.
A focus of disagreement regarding the informal text was the term ‘non-proliferation’.
Russian side event
During the first part of the lunchtime break, the Russian delegation held an exhibition of photographs entitled “The Safe Destruction of the Chemical Weapons in the Russian Federation,” which had been put together by the Russian Federal Agency for Industry (ROSPROM) in association with ITAR-TASS.
April 11, 2008, Day 5, Friday
The ‘informal text’ produced by the Chair of the preparatory Open-Ended Working Group remained the focal point of discussion and the process of examining this text paragraph-by-paragraph continued. Compared with the four paragraphs examined on Thursday, 30-odd were examined on Friday.
April 14, 2008, Day 6, Monday
Informal consultations in the framework of the Committee of the Whole continued.
Issues raised covered most aspects of implementation of the Convention.
NAM countries felt that a paragraph-by-paragraph ‘first reading’ was valuable, while delegates from Western states held the opposite perspective. This disparity in perception was considered a key contributor to the divide between the two sides.
EU side event
During lunchtime on Monday, the European Union held a side event entitled “EU Action in Support of OPCW Activities 2005-2008: Effective Multilateralism in Practice,” which focused on recent activities under relevant EU Joint Actions.
April 15, 2008, Day 7, Tuesday
Deliberations continued through the day in informal consultations in the framework of the Committee of the Whole.
By the end of the day’s activities, the universality section was almost bracket free, while the sections on general obligations and the first few paragraphs on verification and destruction remained heavily bracketed.
April 16, 2008, Day 8, Wednesday
Concerns were raised regarding the slow rate of progress made at the Review Conference. The text from the First Review Conference was imported extensively in order to generate consensus.
The draft declaration appeared to get weaker in certain areas in its operative paragraphs.
The positions of Iran and India on issues such as the role of the Scientific Advisory Board were firm. For example, both wish to see experts appointed by governments to review the reporting by experts appointed by the Director-General.
April 17, 2008, Day 9, Thursday
At the end of the day the text contained a draft full of brackets and alternative text with a firm line taken by many states. Apprehensions and concerns were raised about the lack of agreement on a final document at the end of the Review Conference.
April 18, 2008, Day 10, Friday
On the last working day of the Review Conference a final declaration was successfully adopted. However, the official release of the final declaration is withheld.
April 23, 2008, Wednesday
The OPCW has finally posted the official version of the final report of the Second CWC Review Conference. Some highlights from the report are:
- It was noted with satisfaction that since the First Review Conference in 2003 the total number of States Parties has risen from 151 to 183, leaving only 12 states that have not joined the Convention.
- The Second Review Conference reaffirmed that complete destruction of chemical weapons, and conversion or complete destruction of chemical weapons production facilities (CWPFs), is essential for the realisation of the object and purpose of the Convention.
- The Conference noted with satisfaction that the OPCW has established an effective verification system with a view to achieving the non-proliferation and confidence building aims of the Convention.
- The Review Conference considered the impact of developments in science and technology on the Convention’s prohibitions. The definitions contained in Article II, in particular, of the terms “chemical weapons”, “chemical weapons production facility”, were found to adequately cover these developments.
