Meeting targets chemical weapons convention compliance |11 October 2005

The two-day meeting, being held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and, with the assistance of United States and Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) officials, is intended to establish legislation which will make Seychelles compliant with article VII of the Chemical Weapons Convention, the deadline for which is November.

The OPCW and US State Department team are offering their advice to officials from a range of ministries to help Seychelles develop both the necessary legislation and mechanisms to comply with the convention, or at least put in place a plan of action by the time the deadline arrives.

Speaking to Seychelles Nation Edna Sidler, of the US State Department, said that the legislation being drafted is intended to stop Seychelles becoming a soft target for people seeking to make, buy or use chemical weapons.

"We do not want Seychelles to appear to be a safe haven for onerous activities from non-state actors," she said adding that it is "important that Seychelles has legislation to allow it to prosecute."

Ms Sidler said that, with the November compliance deadline looming, the US team had visited a number of countries across Africa and the Indian Ocean to lend assistance to convention compliance preparations and is now, "providing specific tailored advice for Seychelles to meet its commitments."

A preliminary draft bill to provide compliance with the convention, which would see an authorising body established to oversee implementation of the legislation, falling under the Department of Internal Affairs, is being reviewed at the meeting.

Following this week's meeting, the draft bill is expected to go before the National Assembly before being forwarded to the OPCW.

Ms Sidler stressed the need for blanket compliance with the convention to prevent any country becoming a soft target for illegal chemical weapons development.

She said that compliance costs for Seychelles are likely to be minimal, due to the lack of a domestic chemical industry which would have to be inspected and certified.