Convention must not limit chemical industry

JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas asserted here yesterday that the enforcement of the pending Chemical Weapons Convention must not be to the detriment of the growth of chemical industries in developing nations.

Opening an Asia-Pacific region seminar on national implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention, Alatas noted a trend in certain countries to subjectively inhibit the flow of chemical trade.

"Some developed countries have begun to implement controls on trade in chemicals in the name of disarmament that may adversely affect developing countries," he said.

He warned of the need for protective measures to ensure that the benevolent motive of arms control is not exploited for other purposes.

"The need for safeguards on the legitimate right of developing countries to full access to chemistry technology and chemicals for peaceful purposes is a vital concern that must be carefully addressed," Alatas said.

Some 150 participants from 32 countries are attending the three-day conference at the foreign ministry building here.

The conference is aimed at preparing states in the region for the implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention which is targeted for execution by the middle of next year.

Participants will discuss issues relating to the execution of this new convention such as verification and the establishment of a permanent organization for the prohibition of chemical weapons.

The Chemical Weapons Convention came into being when 130 countries signed the document in 1993.

The Convention was produced after a lengthy process, which began when the 40-nation Conference on Disarmament established an Ad-Hoc Committee on Chemical Weapons in 1980, which began drafting the final document over a decade ago.

Alatas said that even during the preparatory process of the document the developing countries had expressed fear that the Convention could be used to hinder access to chemical technology.

Li Chang-he, deputy executive secretary of the Preparatory Commission for the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, seemed to lessen the fears when he said that the Convention would bring tangible benefits to signatory states.

"The Convention will facilitate the fullest possible exchange of chemicals, equipment and scientific information relating to the application and development of chemistry for legitimate peaceful purposes," Li said.

He added, as an enticement for countries to promptly ratify the Convention, that those who did so in time would enjoy unimpeded trade in chemicals while those who failed would face "gradual trade restrictions as envisaged in the Convention".

Ratification

Out of the now 158 countries to sign the Convention, a mere 16 have ratified it. The original projections of two years from signing to implementation have had to be scrapped.

Indonesia itself, despite being an original signatory and an advocate of the Convention, has yet to ratify it.

"Hopefully by the first quarter of next year we will have ratified it," Alatas said.

He said that the original projection of two years was "not realistic" because, as Indonesia has found out, the Convention covers a great many details and requires the coaching of other ministries.

He elaborated that the foreign ministry has embarked on several information sessions with various departments and elements of the chemical industry.

One of the scheduled events for this effort is a briefing during a meeting of the Indonesian Basic Chemicals Association in Bukittinggi, West Sumatra, on Dec. 12.

The complexity of the Convention also touches on adjustments in legal areas as Li Chang-he explained: "New legislation, including penal provisions, may be required to prohibit actions outlawed in the Convention."

although only 16 of the required 65 countries have completed ratification in order to allow the implementation of the Convention, both Li and Alatas remain confident that it can be achieved by the middle of next year.

Referring to those who refuse to sign the Convention, Alatas remarked that there were a number of Middle Eastern countries refusing to sign unless Israel first signs the Nuclear Non- Proliferation Treaty. (mds)