ADDIS ABABA, March 18 (NNN-ENA) — Ethiopia reaffirmed commitment towards success of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons-OPCW.

Trade and Industry State Minister Tadesse Haile said Ethiopia is committed to make every effort for full implementation of the chemical weapons convention, which is the first multi-lateral legal instrument that banned an entire category of weapons of mass destruction.

Tadesse was speaking here on Wednesday at the opening of a Regional Workshop for States Parties in Africa on Assistance and Protection against Chemical Weapons.

The minister said though Ethiopia possesses no chemical weapons and has no chemical industry relevant to the convention, it has strong commitment for the universality of the convention and makes every effort for its full implementation.

He said the objectives of the chemical weapons convention can only be fully met if the convention is implemented properly and comprehensively at a national level.

Tadesse said Ethiopia is among the pioneer states parties to the convention. The country has signed the convention on 14th of January 1993 and ratified it on 13th of May 1996.

He said out of 53 African countries 50 are States Parties to the chemical weapons convention. This is a very good achievement of the Technical Secretariat of OPCW.

OPCW Deputy Director-General, John Freeman on his part said the convention has now been in operation for 13 years, adding that to date, close to 57 per cent of the world’s declared chemical weapons, amounting to 71,000 MT of chemical-warfare agents, have been verifiably destroyed.

Albania, India and a State Party that has requested anonymity have already completed the elimination of their stockpiles under the verification of OPCW inspectors.

He said the workshop is a good opportunity to discuss the various facets and implications of Article 10 of the Convention.

The workshop also aims at promoting further cooperation at the regional and international level towards capacity building in the important area of assistance and protection.

Preparations also continue for the third OPCW exercise on the delivery of assistance (ASSISTEX 3), to be held in Tunisia on Oct 11-15, he said.

Some 17 African countries including Ethiopia, Nigeria, Tunisia, Cameroon, Uganda, Sudan, Morocco, Senegal, Cote d?Ivoire, Botswana and Burkina Faso, among others, are in attendance at the three-day workshop. — NNN-ENA

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