Seminar on Chemical Weapons Convention held in RACVIAC
“Convention on Chemical Weapons” international seminar was held in the Centre for Security Cooperation (RACVIAC), co-organized with the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), from 16th to 18th February.
The seminar brought together participants from ten countries, representatives of national ministries and armed forces, and lecturers from the OPCW.
The purpose of the seminar was the detailed analysis of certain provisions of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), to exchange experiences regarding the implementation and enforcement of the Convention, as well as introduce participants to OPCW’s contribution to global anti-terrorist efforts.
Introductory lecture at a seminar was held by the OPCW Deputy Director General John Freeman, who recalled the history of chemical disarmament and procedures that led to the signing of the Convention and establishing of the OPCW.
Text of the Convention was agreed in 1992 and the Convention entered into force on April 29, 1997, when the International Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical weapons (OPCW) formally began with work. So far 188 countries have signed the Convention. Republic of Croatia has acceded to the Convention in April 1995, and immediately after it was established a National Commission for the implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention.
During the seminar the discussion was on the national and individual problems related to the control and registration of chemicals, as well as, on the capabilities of each country to respond to threats involving chemical weapons. Also, there was a practical exercise on the “The answer to the NBC security incident.”