INDIA 28 April 2009 Deadline for India to destroy declared chemical weapons stockpiles

The Indian Government is obliged to destroy its declared chemical weapons stockpiles on 28 Apr, as agreed under the 11th Annual Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) of 8 Dec 2006. According to the latest media reports, nearly 90 per cent of the country's chemical weapons stock has been destroyed.

India signed the Chemical Weapons Convention treaty in 1993. It was ratified in 1995.

Under the treaty, Libya's has until 31 Dec 2010 to destroy its chemical weapons, Russia until 29 Apr 2012, and the United States until 29 Apr 2012.

The Annual Chemical Weapons Convention is the principal decision-making organ of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). In October 2003, the OPCW initiated an action plan to encourage every country to join the CWC. Since then, 28 states have joined the convention. Iraq joined in Dec 2007. Countries that have not joined the convention include Egypt, North Korea and Syria.

Experts see these countries as posing a serious threat to the CWC aim of eliminating the risk of chemical warfare. The United States has long accused these countries of possessing chemical weapons. Jun/08

ARTICLE WRITTEN BY NEWSAHEAD CORRESPONDENT C.BALAJI, WHO IS AVAILABLE FOR FREELANCE ASSIGNMENTS IN INDIA AND THE REGION. email: mohan balaji
mohanbalaji20032004@yahoo.co.in

RELATED READING:

Chemical Weapons Convention Faces Challenges Despite Recent Achievements (World Politics Review 8 Feb 2008)
http://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/Article.aspx?id=1577

Arms Control and Proliferation Profile: India (Nov 2007)
http://www.armscontrol.org/factsheets/indiaprofile.asp