Comoros has selected its Foreign Affairs Ministry to act as the national authority for the Chemical Weapons Convention, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons announced Friday (see GSN, Sept. 5, 2006).
As of last week, 182 of the 188 CWC member nations had created or authorized entities to implement the national-level commitments for the pact that prohibits development, production, possession or use of chemical weapons, according to an OPCW press release (see GSN, Aug. 24).
"To meet its basic obligations, each state party must be able to submit all the required declarations, communicate with the OPCW, cooperate with other states parties, facilitate OPCW inspections, respond to OPCW requests for assistance, protect the confidentiality of classified information, monitor and enforce national compliance, and cooperate in the peaceful uses of chemistry," the release states."States parties are also obliged to declare and to eliminate all chemical weapons stockpiles and chemical weapons production facilities they may possess. The national authority plays an indispensable role in all of these activities" (Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons release, Sept. 25).