Verification Practice Under The Chemical Weapons Convention

... As Director-General of the OPCW, I believe that a broad based informed discussion on these issues is desirable and will contribute to the success of the Convention. It is for this reason that I encouraged the preparation of "Verification Practice under the Chemical Weapons Convention: A Commentary I have strongly supported the efforts of the authors, Dr R Trapp and Dr W Krutzsch, both of whom have been intimately involved in the negotiations on and the implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention. The result of their efforts is this book. This is not a book for easy reading over a weekend. The issues addressed are, more often than not, hardly exciting. But this is a much needed publication which, I hope, will be the first in the series of in-depth studies of the CWC verification regime and the practical work of the OPCW in this critically important area. As the authors state in their introduction, the substance of this volume is their sole responsibility. Some of their comments, conclusions or suggestions, may find not only supporters but opponents as well, which of course is only natural. On the whole, however, I believe that, whatever their views on the issues raised, all readers will share my view that this is a very useful and timely study. From the Foreword by Josi M Bustani, Director-General, OPCW This Commentary on the verification provisions of the Chemical Weapons Convention builds on a previous publication by the same authors - "A Commentary on the Chemical Weapons Convention (Kluwer 1994). It focuses on the verification regime established under the Convention and analyses the results of the preparatory phase as well as the practical experience gathered bythe OPCW since the entry into force of the Chemical Weapons Convention in 1997. The book

This Commentary on the verification provisions of the Chemical Weapons Convention builds on a previous publication by the same authors - A Commentary on the Chemical Weapons Convention (Kluwer 1994). It focuses on the verification regime established under the Convention and analyses the results of the preparatory phase as well as the practical experience gathered by the OPCW since the entry into force of the Chemical Weapons Convention in 1997. The book follows the methodological approach taken in the earlier publication - a paragraph by paragraph discussion of the text. It discusses those provisions which are relevant for the areas of verification where the OPCW has actually conducted inspections and thus acquired practical experience (i.e. routine inspections of chemical weapons and related facilities, and facilities related to the chemicals listed under Schedule 1 and 2). The book is intended to stimulate and enrich the debate on a number of practical as well as legal issues that have emerged during the practical implementation. It will be of interest to National Authorities and to diplomats following the implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention, but also to practitioners in the chemical industry and related trade associations, international lawyers and political scientists - whether specialists or generalists, and the interested public.

The use of chemical weapons may have started with World War I, but as a result of the armed conflicts in the Middle East the monitoring of chemical production has gained an unprecedented immediacy. This volume is the first comprehensive analysis of on-site test inspections conducted in the chemical industry. These inspections helped to design and test the verification mechanisms for future international Chemical Weapons Conventions. The author analyzes these inspections to predict future inspection methods. He also describes problems encountered and proposes improvements to increase the efficiency of the verification system.

This book provides an article-by-article commentary on the text of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) and its Annexes, one of the cornerstone disarmament and arms control agreements. It requires the verified elimination of an entire category of weapons of mass destruction and their means of production by all its States Parties within established time lines, and that prohibits any activities to develop or otherwise acquire such weapons. Cross-cutting chapters alongside the detailed commentary, by those intimately involved in the development of the Convention, assess the history of the efforts to prohibit chemical weapons, the adoption of the Convention and the work of the Preparatory Commission, the entry into force of the Convention to the Second Review Conference, and the need for a new approach for the governance of chemical weapons. Written by those involved in its creation and implementation, this book critically reviews the practices adopted in implementing the Convention, as well as the challenges ahead, and provides legal commentary on, and guidance for, its future role. It assesses how to adapt its implementation to advances in science and technology, including the discovery of new chemicals and the development of biochemical 'non-lethal' compounds that influence behaviour. It addresses the legal framework within which the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) takes decisions, both with regard to the OPCW's own regulatory framework and regarding wider international norms, accepted principles, and practices. The Commentary draws conclusions on how the prohibitions against chemical weapons can be strengthened and the stature of the OPCW protected. It highlights the involvement of industry and academia in this prohibition, creating a symbiosis between effective governance and the legal framework of the Convention. This book is an authoritative, scholarly work for anyone interested in the Chemical Weapons Convention, in international disarmament and arms control law, and in the work of international organizations, and a practical guide for individuals and institutions involved in the Convention's day-to-day implementation.

Describes the state of chemical weapons negotiations, practical industrial-monitoring experiments and different monitoring techniques. The technical possibilities of monitoring the chemical industry under a future Chemical Weapons Convention are examined.