RI vows to implement fully the CWC<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Indonesia, the third largest democracy in the world, is committed
\nto fully implementing the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), said
\na senior official at the ministry of foreign affairs.<\/p>\n
\"Indonesia, which is in the process of full democratization,
\nwill be in a better position to fully implement the Chemical
\nWeapons Convention,\" Makmur Widodo, director general for
\nmultilateral political, social and security affairs at the
\nministry of foreign affairs, said on Tuesday while opening a
\nseminar on the \"Implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention
\n(CWC)\" in Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Makmur said Indonesia, which signed the CWC on Jan. 13, 1993
\nand ratified it on Sept. 30, 1998 and enacted it into the Law No.
\n6\/1998, is committed to fully implementing the CWC.<\/p>\n
\"As a party to the CWC, Indonesia is legally bound to fully
\nimplement the provisos of the convention. Indeed, Indonesia is
\nnow in the process of doing just that,\" Makmur
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
The CWC, which came into force on April 29, 1997, is an
\ninternational treaty that bans the use of chemical weapons and
\naims to eliminate chemical weapons, everywhere in the world,
\nforever.<\/p>\n
Even after more than five years since the ratification of the
\nCWC, Indonesia is still trying to implement it fully.<\/p>\n
The problems, according to Makmur, are mainly two: the
\nestablishment of a permanent national authority and passing of 'a
\nunified robust national legislation' to cover and govern all
\naspects of the use of chemical substances.<\/p>\n
Indonesia currently has a temporary national authority under
\nthe coordination of the directorate for international peace and
\ndisarmament at the foreign ministry.<\/p>\n
Under the CWC, the member countries must make it part of its
\nnational legislation before 2005.<\/p>\n
Hassan Kleib, a foreign ministry official, shared Makmur's
\nview at the seminar -- attended by diplomats, international
\nexperts and people representing non-governmental organizations as
\nwell as the private sector -- that the national legislation was
\nneeded to tighten the importation of chemical substances so as to
\nenable the authority to control the influx of such substances.<\/p>\n
\"As a member party of CWC, we have to submit our annual report
\nof the imports and exports of the chemical substances to the
\nOrganization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW),\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
The Hague-based OPCW is an independent international
\norganization, which was established in 1997 by the countries that
\nhave joined the CWC to make sure that the Convention works
\neffectively and achieves its purpose.<\/p>\n
The two-day seminar -- which was organized by the Indonesian
\nforeign ministry in collaboration with the Technical Secretariat
\nof the OPCW -- aimed at preparing the ground work for the
\nestablishment of Indonesian Permanent National Authority and
\nspeeding up the national legislation on the usage of chemical
\nsubstances.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/ri-vows-to-implement-fully-the-cwc-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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