The Ninth Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) Review Conference concluded on Dec. 16 without an agreement on beginning an effort to create a verification mechanism to ensure compliance with the treaty. In a statement issued this morning, Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov, Chief of Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Protection Troops of the Russian Armed Forces, attributed that failure to obstruction coming from the U.S. delegation. The Russians, he said, offered four initiatives to strengthen the BWC, starting with new negotiations for a legally binding protocol to the BWC with an effective verification mechanism that would include lists of pathogens, toxins, specialized equipment and be comprehensive. The rest of the initiatives included expanded confidence building measures, the establishment of a scientific advisory committee and the use of mobile bio-medical teams within the BWC.
“However, these proposals were blocked by the collective West. Only proposals to start negotiations on the formation of the Scientific Advisory Committee did not raise any objections,” Kirillov said. “The United States has explicitly stated that it will not allow language on the importance of a legally binding protocol and verification procedures in the outcome document, although more than 120 countries have supported the initiative.”
