India expresses concern over allegation on use of chemical weapons

India has expressed concern over new allegations on the use of chemical weapons in different parts of the world and called for bringing to justice the perpetrators of such abhorrent acts.

Ambassador Venu Rajamony also said that India is worried about the reports of the so-called Islamic State' or ISIS acquiring chemical weapons and their delivery systems, according to the statement issued at the 87th session of the Executive Council (EC) of the Organisation of Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.

He requested the Technical Secretariat to closely monitor this threat and report to the Executive Council on this emerging challenge.

Rajamony, who is the Permanent Representative of India to Organisation of Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, said it has been India's consistent position that the use of chemical weapons anywhere, at any time, by anybody, under any circumstances, cannot be justified and the perpetrators of such abhorrent acts must be held accountable.

The use of chemical weapons is in complete disregard of humanity, and is reprehensible and contrary to the provisions of the chemical weapons convention as well as accepted international legal norms, it said.

"India views the Chemical Weapons Convention as a unique, non-discriminatory disarmament instrument which serves as a model for the elimination of an entire category of weapons of mass destruction. Our efforts in the OPCW should help to eliminate all possibilities of any future use of chemical weapons, so that we can reach the shared goal of a world free of chemical weapons," Rajamony said yesterday.

The OPCW has achieved much success in moving towards the goal of a world free of chemical weapons and the threat of their use, he said.

"Emergence of non-state actors and the threat of acquisition and use of chemical weapons by them further complicate the situation. This calls for greater and continued vigilance as well as renewed efforts towards enhancing the adaptive capacity for the organisation," Rajamony said.

He said destruction of chemical weapons is the most important undertaking made by every state party to the convention.

Under the vigilant eyes of this organisation, over 96 per cent of chemical weapon stockpiles declared by possessor states have been eliminated, he said.

"We also congratulate Iraq on achieving the completion of the destruction of the entire declared stockpile of chemical weapon remnants in Iraq. We hope that the remaining chemical weapon stockpiles will also be destroyed soon," Rajamony said.