Information about biological weapons and the BTWC
The Protocol to Strengthen the BTWC: An Integrated Regime
Graham S. Pearson
Department of Peace Studies, University of Bradford, UK
(This article is reproduced by kind permission of the Sixth International Symposium on Protection Against Chemical and Biological Warfare Agents, Stockholm, 11 - 15 May 1998. It was first presented at the Pre-Meeting to that Symposium on 10 May 1998 and will be published in the proceedings of that Pre-meeting.)
Further information about biological weapons and the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC)
The Protocol to Strengthen the BTWC: An Integrated Regime
ABSTRACT
The Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC) has no provisions for verification or for the monitoring of compliance. The Ad Hoc Group established in 1994 to consider appropriate measures, including possible verification measures, and draft proposals to strengthen the Convention, to be included, as appropriate, in a legally binding instrument has now met 10 times. The July 1997 AHG session saw the successful introduction of a rolling text for the Protocol to strengthen the BTWC. All the essential elements for the Protocol are now in the rolling text -- Mandatory Declarations, Non-Challenge Visits (both focussed and random) and Compliance Concern Investigations together with measures to strengthen the implementation of Article X (cooperation for peaceful purposes) and other Articles of the BTWC. Although there has been much proliferation of square brackets indicating alternatives, the essential contents of a Protocol to strengthen the BTWC are already present.
Political developments around the world in the first few months of 1998 have demonstrated that there is a serious international commitment to the negotiations and that the political will needed to complete the negotiations is there. This paper considers the current rolling text of the Protocol to strengthen the BTWC and draws together the likely elements of that Protocol in order to examine how together they will result in an integrated regime that will strengthen effectively the BTWC.
It is concluded that the Protocol being negotiated by the Ad Hoc Group in Geneva has all the key elements required for a highly effective integrated regime already in the draft text. The additional detailed measures identified in this paper that have yet to be elaborated should not present an undue difficulty -- declarations of past BW facilities, visits to BW defence and government owned past BW facilities at about once every two years intervals, measures to improve implementation of Articles III, IV and X of the Convention designed to also contribute to strengthening confidence in compliance. This paper has demonstrated that all the different elements are all inter-related and together will have a considerable synergistic effect that will build confidence in compliance with the Convention, ensure that uncertainties, anomalies and concerns are swiftly investigated and improve the implementation of the Convention.
Further information about biological weapons and the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC)
Home page for the Joint Bradford - SIPRI Chemical and Biological Warfare (CBW) Project
The Project on Strengthening the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention and Preventing Biological Warfare is based in the Department of Peace Studies, University of Bradford, UK.
Updated 21 August 1998.