MOSCOW, December 12 (RIA Novosti) - The Russian Foreign Ministry said Monday that the Biological and Toxic Weapons Convention (BWC) could be consolidated best by creating an effective compliance control mechanism.
In a press release following an annual meeting of BWC states in Geneva, the ministry said Russia regarded conduct codes for biological scientists as an additional measure to reinforce the ban and urged the parties to adopt enabling legislation in order to ensure compliance at the national level.
The BWC, prohibiting the development, production, stockpiling and acquisition of bacteriological and toxic weapons, was opened for signature in April 1972 and entered into force in March 1975. It has 144 states parties (not counting Taiwan), including the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council. The United Kingdom, the United States and Russia are the convention's depositaries.
