US President Joe Biden announced on July 7 that the US has completely destroyed its decades-old chemical weapons stockpile, fulfilling its commitment under the Chemical Weapons Convention, which was agreed upon in 1993 and entered into force in 1997.
“Today, I am proud to announce that the United States has safely destroyed the last munition in that stockpile, bringing us one step closer to a world free from the horrors of chemical weapons,” Biden said.
Mr Biden's announcement came after Blue Grass Army Depot, a US Army facility in Kentucky, completed the removal of about 500 tons of deadly chemicals, a four-year job.
For decades, the United States has stockpiled shells and rockets containing VX and sarin nerve agents, as well as blister agents. Such weapons were widely condemned after they were used with horrific results on the battlefields of World War I.
Under the Chemical Weapons Convention, the United States has until September 30, 2023, to destroy all of its chemical agents and munitions.
The other signatories to the treaty have eliminated their holdings, leaving the United States the last to complete the task of destroying its “declared” stockpiles, said Fernando Arias, head of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). This means that all chemical weapons stockpiles in the world have been permanently destroyed.
M55 missiles containing the nerve agent sarin are seen at the Blue Grass Army Depot near Richmond, Kentucky, US in July 2022. By destroying these weapons, the US sends a message that chemical weapons are no longer acceptable on the battlefield. Photo: SCMP/AP
According to the US Arms Control Association, the country held nearly 28,600 tons of chemical weapons in 1990, the second largest stockpile in the world after Russia. Russia completed the destruction of its declared stockpiles in 2017. By April 2022, the US will have less than 600 tons left to destroy.
According to Kingston Reif, US assistant secretary of defense for threat reduction and arms control, the destruction of the last of the US chemical weapons “will close an important chapter in military history, but one that we are very much looking forward to closing.”
Officials say eliminating the U.S. stockpile is a major step forward for the Chemical Weapons Convention, which has 193 countries. Only three countries — Egypt, North Korea and South Sudan — have not signed the treaty. A fourth, Israel, has signed but not ratified it.
The OPCW said it would remain vigilant following incidents in recent years when chemical weapons were used in Syria as well as by Russia.
“The recent use and threats of using toxic chemicals as weapons show that preventing their re-emergence will remain a top priority for the organization,” Mr. Arias asserted .
Nguyen Tuyet (According to SCMP, DW)
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