Recent Chemical Weapons Convention Conference Fails to Address RCA Issues

The Third Review Conference of the State Parties of the Chemical Weapons Convention took place earlier this month at Hague, Netherlands. However, participants of the April 8 to 19 affair voice out disappointments due to continuing ambiguity in some of the most important matters concerning the convention, including the use of riot-control agents (RCA).

One of the participants was Michael Crowley from the University of Bradford, United Kingdom. During the conference, Crowley presented a research report on RCA, "Drawing the Line." The report emphasizes the importance of clarifying articles and rules on the use of wide-area RCAs of states parties. "There is continuing ambiguity as to the type and specifications of those RCA means of delivery that are prohibited under the convention. This ambiguity has potentially dangerous consequences, allowing divergent interpretations, policy and practice among states parties to emerge," said Crowley.

He furthered by saying that the convention does not act despite rampant use of some types of RCAs in states parties. "Despite evidence of the development and promotion of a range of wide-area RCA means of delivery that are potentially in conflict with the convention, the OPCW has declined to act. Given the evident dangers arising from unregulated production, proliferation and misuse of wide-area RCA means of delivery, the OPCW should address this issue as a matter of urgency."

The most common RCA used in riot situations is pepper spray, while there are far more advanced chemicals used as RCAs. University of Bergen, Norway chemistry professor Leiv K. Sydnes, in his article "Policy: Update the Chemical Weapons Convention," said that "I am quite confident that in the future, the risk from chemical weapons will not be caused by acts of states and countries, but of groups of terrorists."

According to Sydnes, "The key to coping with this risk is to keep proper track of movements of certain chemicals and chemical reactors, and use modern data technology to analyse such information and predict when there are reasons to believe it is time to act."

The final document on the recent conference is yet to be released.

The Chemical Weapons Convention is an arms control treaty among participating states parties. With its history rooting way back 1968, the agreement aims at controlling the use, production, and transfer of chemicals that may be used as weapons for mass destruction. To date, only six states parties have not signed with the convention yet, namely Angola, Egypt, North Korea, Somalia, South Sudan, and Syria.