Biological Weapons Convention

HC Deb 17 December 2003 vol 415 c973W

Tony Lloyd

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list those countries he deems in contravention of the Biological Weapons Convention. [143493]

Mr. MacShane

[holding answer 15 December 2003]: The UK routinely monitors the compliance of all States Parties to the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC).

The UK is a Depositary Government of the BTWC, which entered into force in 1975, and currently numbers 151 countries.

We continue to view the issue of compliance with the Convention as being of central importance and made specific reference to this point in our statement to the BTWC Review Conference in November 2002.

However, it is not our policy to list or name those individual countries we judge to be in contravention with their obligations.