§ Mr. Deakinsasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what provisions for adequate verification exist under the 1972 biological weapons convention.
§ Mr. RifkindIn reaffirming our general support for this convention at the review conference held in 1980, we expressed our concern over the verification provisions, which seemed to us inadequate. The final document of the review conference stated that the question should be further considered. We are considering with other parties to the convention how an improvement to the verification programme may be achieved.
§ Mr. Deakinsasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if the 1972 biological weapons convention prohibits the use of such weapons.
§ Mr. RifkindThe biological weapons convention of 1972 prohibits the development, production, stockpiling, acquisition and retention of bacteriological and toxin weapons. These prohibitions, together with that on means of delivery, amount to a ban on use.