RP calls for total elimination of chemical weapons

The Philippines has called for the total elimination of chemical weapons and urged member-states of the United Nations to become party to the Chemical Weapons Convention.

The Philippine Delegation, led by Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo, made the call during the High Level Meeting on the 10th Anniversary of the Chemical Weapons Convention at the UN Headquarters last Thursday.

The participation of the Philippine delegation in this commemorative event organized by the Foreign Ministries of the Netherlands and Poland was intended to express the Philippines’ strong commitment and desire to rid the world of chemical weapons stockpiles.

“Chemical weapons rarely leave scars on the battlefield. But they destroy the lives of all those who feel their cruel and deadly touch,” Romulo said during the meeting.

“Ten years ago we decided to eliminate this scourge, to reverse this perversion of man’s great knowledge of science and chemistry,” Romulo said.

The Philippines became a signatory to the Chemical Weapons Convention in 1993 and ratified it in 1996.

The agreement stipulates that all States Parties will not develop nor produce chemical weapons and that they will destroy whatever stockpiles they possess within given deadlines. The agreement is being administered by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and entered into force in 1997.

“As the Philippines joins the other Member States present in remembering the victims of chemical weapons, we reiterate the call for the full, universal, and non-discriminatory implementation of the Convention,” Romulo said.

He also urged all States that are not yet party to the Convention to become so at the soonest possible time and for possessor States Parties to the Convention to destroy their chemical weapons stockpiles within the deadlines provided by the Conference of States Parties.

The High Level Meeting resulted in a statement which reaffirms the commitment of the States Parties and other delegations present to the elimination, destruction, and non-use of chemical weapons.