US far behind schedule on destruction of chemical weapons, China says

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
10 Jul 2023 18:45
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The US is the last country to complete the destruction of its declared chemical weapons.

Workers at the Blue Grass Chemical Agent Destruction Pilot Plant began destroying the stockpile of M55 rockets with sarin nerve agent in 2022. (AP)

The US has completed the liquidation of its declared chemical weapons stock, making it the last country to do so behind the schedule that was established by the Chemical Weapon Convention (CWC), Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said Monday.

"The US is the last state to complete the destruction of its declared chemical weapons stockpile, far behind the time limit set in the CWC. The US's announcement of destroying the final munition in its chemical weapons stockpile is a long-overdue explanation to the world," Mao Ning told a briefing.

The spokeswoman added that the goal of the CWC was to impose a complete ban and destroy chemical weapons - the obligation specified to all state members of the CWC.

She further recalled that members vowed to complete the destruction of their chemical weapons no later than 10 years after the deal went into effect in 1997.

Despite these efforts, there are many challenges that lay ahead of achieving "a world free of chemical weapons," she added.

The Convention on the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons currently has 193 state parties and entered into effect on April 29, 1997. It aims to eliminate a specific category of weapons of mass destruction by prohibiting the development, production, acquisition, stockpiling, retention, transfer, or use of chemical weapons.