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Pakistan ratifies the Chemical Weapons Convention... Statement at the First Committee of the UNGA, November 97.

Despite our concerns and reservations regarding certain provisions of the CWC which we articulated at the time of the Convention's conclusion as well as subsequently, Pakistan signed the CWC to underscore our commitment to the objective of the complete elimination, regionally and globally, of this abhorrent means of warfare. In order to promote this basic objective in our region, we also entered into a solemn declaration on the complete prohibition of chemical weapons in South Asia.

The entry into force of the Convention revealed the unpleasant reality of the presence of chemical weapons stockpiles and production facilities designed to be used against Pakistan. This created a qualitatively new situation for Pakistan and complicated our decision to ratify the Convention. Our concerns were highlighted in the statement made by my Minister of State for Foreign Affairs in the General Debate in this Committee.

Despite these challenges, it gives me great satisfaction to announce in this Committee that following a bold decision taken by the government of Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, Pakistan submitted its instrument of ratification of the CWC on 28 October 1997. We will, therefore, attend the Second Conference of States Parties to be held in The Hague early next month as a State Party.

Pakistan's decision is a vote of confidence in the international community and the collective contribution which it can make to advance the cause of peace and security on an equitable and non-discriminatory basis. It also represents a practical manifestation of Pakistan's sincerity in pursuing the elimination of all weapons of mass destruction. Pakistan has joined the Convention in the hope that it will be implemented in a fair and equitable manner and that it will serve to ameliorate the genuine security concerns of all States, especially the non-possessors of chemical weapons.