Treaty Issues in Depth
CWC Destruction Deadlines
On 20 April 2006, Ambassador Eric Javits, the U.S. representative to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), informed his fellow delegates that the United States would ask for an extension of the Chemical Weapons Convention's (CWC) deadline for the destruction of its chemical weapons (CW) stockpile set for 29 April 2007. Eight other States Parties have also asked that the 2007 deadline for various destruction requirements be extended.

States Parties to the CWC must destroy all CW in their possession, all CW abandoned in other countries, as well as all CW production facilities. According to the OPCW, the number of declared CW stockpiles by States Parties amounts to approximately "70,000 metric tons of toxic agents in 8.6 million munitions and containers." Under the terms of the CWC, States Parties to the Convention must destroy their chemical weapons by 2007 - ten years after the treaty entered-into-force (EIF). The Convention allows each State Party to ask for a five-year extension of the 2007 deadline if destruction problems occur. Any additional extensions must be approved by the other OPCW States Parties [Full Story].

Treaty Outtake

Each State Party shall adopt the necessary measures to ensure that toxic chemicals and their precursors are only developed, produced, otherwise acquired, retained, transferred, or used within its territory or in any other place under its jurisdiction or control for purposes not prohibited under this Convention. To this end, and in order to verify that activities are in accordance with obligations under this Convention, each State Party shall subject toxic chemicals and their precursors listed in Schedules 1, 2 and 3 of the Annex on Chemicals, facilities related to such chemicals, and other facilities as specified in the Verification Annex, that are located on its territory or in any other place under its jurisdiction or control, to verification measures as provided in the Verification Annex.

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