Burma Ratifies Chemical Weapons Treaty

Burma Ratifies Chemical Weapons Treaty
By NOBEL ZAW / THE IRRAWADDY

RANGOON — Burma has ratified the Chemical Weapons Convention, more than two decades after becoming a state signatory.

Foreign Affairs Minister Wunna Maung Lwin addressed the 79th executive council session of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPWC) in The Hague, Netherlands, on Thursday, and will become the 191st state party to the protocol after 30 days.

“Myanmar is committed to fulfilling its obligations under the Convention and looks forward to cooperating with other States Parties to bring about a world completely free of chemical weapons,” the minister said in a statement by OPCW.

Burma was among the early signatories to the treaty, signing on in 1993, though several neighboring countries—including China and India—succeeded in ratifying much more quickly. Only five countries have yet to become members: Angola, Egypt, Israel, North Korea and South Sudan.

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