India complies with Chemical Weapons Convention

India has unilaterally decided to throw open its chemical weapons stockpile for international expert inspection, complying with the Chemical Weapons Convention. However, in case the decision affects its national security, India will not hesitate to reverse the decision.

''Now that the convention has come into force, which collectively aims at eliminating chemical weapons, India has declared without any reservation all such materials in stock and production,'' the defence ministry said in New Delhi.

The statement notes that the convention at The Hague enjoins upon all States to declare their chemical weapons, their production and storage facilities and to submit to a phased plan of destruction of such weapons and facilities over a period of 10 years.

Allaying any fears, the statement said adequate safeguards are in place for giving primacy to national security and protecting the interests and rights of the Indian chemical industry. According to reports, the government had taken all political parties into confidence before arriving at the decision.

The Chemical Weapons Convention is the first non-discriminatory treaty which has taken shape with a view to achieving complete disarmament under strict and effective international control. Besides the United States and China, 37 other countries have already filed their declarations.

As India has been spearheading a campaign for non-discriminatory approach on such issues, it has fully supported the convention which came into force on April 29, 1997. The deadline for disclosing stockpiles was Thursday, June 26. The signatories have the option of opting out with a 90-day notice period.

In May 1997, India was elected member of the executive council and became its first chairman -- an international recognition for the positive stand taken by India on the abolition of such weapons of mass destruction.

The most important thing about India's chemical weapons programme is that it has so far been the most-closely held secret.

The decision will mean that the Indian chemical weapons programme will now be recorded with the executive council and open to the purview of the member States.

The convention stipulates that signatories will have to come up with broad plans to destroy stockpiles during the first two years. The destruction will have to start with the beginning of the third year, attaining a 45-per-cent level by the 10th year.

According to experts, India's decision is significant in view of its commitment to improve relations with Pakistan, which has also signed the convention, but has not declared its stockpile. The proposal for unilateral declaration is understood to have been moved by Prime Minister I K Gujral, and it was approved at a Cabinet meeting last week.

UNI