Weapons of Mass Destruction

HL Deb 21 October 2003 vol 653 c159WA

Lord Laird

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What they mean by weapons of mass destruction; and which countries they consider to be in possession of such weapons. [HL4670]

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean

There is no universally-accepted definition of the term weapons of mass destruction (WMD), however it is generally taken to mean nuclear, chemical and biological weapons.

Under the terms of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, the United Kingdom, the United States, France, Russia and China are legally entitled to possess nuclear weapons. Additionally, India and Pakistan have tested nuclear devices. We continue to urge Israel to resolve international concerns about its nuclear status by acceding to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty as a non-nuclear weapons state.

There are four states parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention that have declared possession of chemical weapons. They are currently in the process of destroying them in accordance with their obligations under the convention.

The Government have made clear in recent months that we continue to believe that Iraq had produced and had active programmes for production of WMD. We are also aware of, and very concerned by, persistent reports that Iran, The Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Libya and Syria are pursuing programmes for the development of WMD and the means for their delivery.