Nasser Moh.Al Ali: Nat.Committee on Arms Embargo Adopts Strategic Plan for Chemical Weapons

Doha, February 21 (QNA) - Chairman of the National Committee on Arms Embargo Air Commodore Nasser Mohamed al Ali has said tht the committee has adopted a four-goal strategic plan dealing with the chemical weapons namely to complete the legislative mechanism ,the establishment of an integrated verification system including a database and human cadres and achieve the goals contained in the Convention on the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and finally support links and links with the concerned authorities. Air Commodore Nasser Mohamed al Ali said in an opening address of a training course for the representatives of the national authorities in charge of the annual declaration of the banned chemical substances in the Asian countries which kicked off here Tuesday, that according to that the committee has showcased due keenness to include the draft regulations of Law 17 of 2007, on chemical weapons in the State of Qatar, all information attached by chemicals authorized in order to tighten control over the use of these materials permeable to Article VI of the Convention. Chairman of the National Committee on Arms Embargo made clear that in order to ensure the implementation on part of the state of its obligations vis-a-vis the agreement in a better way, the aforesid committee completed amendments to the Law 17, which is under issue. The three-day course, held under the patronage of Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces Major General Hamad bin Ali al Attiyah, is organised by the National Committee on Arms Embargo in cooperation with the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). In his address before the opening session of the training course, Chairman of the National Committee on Arms Embargo Air Commodore Nasser Mohamed al Ali has underlined that the State of Qatar supports this agreement and is keen to make annual declarations in the context of transparency between the two sides through annual declarations as per Article VI of the Convention. In this regard, Air Commodore Nasser Mohamed al Ali made clear that the Committee is in the process of completing requirements draft "Declaration of electronic chemicals listed in tables in the Chemical Weapons Convention. Activities of the training course for the representatives of the national authorities of the asian countries who are in charge of the annual declarations of the banned chemical substances as per the 6th article of the chemical weapons convention kicked off at "La Cigale" hotel here today. The course is being held for the fourth consecutive year in Doha. After the opening ceremony, Air Commodore al Ali will inaugurate the e-website of the committee to issue the annual declaration of the chemical substances electronically for the first time. Chief of the Implementation Support at the Hague-based Organisation for Prohibition of Chemical Weapons Marc Bon will attend the event. The OPCW includes three schedules of chemicals which are subject to the convention, though prohibited materials can be used for industrial purposes in accordance with the convention guidelines. Article VI of the convention provides for restrictions on non-prohibited activities and ratifies the right of states to use of chemicals for non-prohibited purposes and obliges the parties to issue annual declarations on the chemicals imported or developed. Since the establishment of the OPCW and the emergence of the convention, Qatar has been in the frontline of the countries that joined the organisation as a reflection of the long-term vision of the country s leadership and its belief in the principles of Islam, which prohibits abuse. Qatar agreed to sign the agreement in 1993 and ratified it on August 13, 1997.(QNA)