Muscat: Oman is free of chemical weapons and is committed to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) since it was signed in 1997, according to Mohammad Bin Khamis Al Araimi, Undersecretary at the Ministry of Environment and Climate Affairs.
The country signed the CWC in 1997 and soon after that a Royal Decree was issued to apply the convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on their Destruction.
Speaking at a workshop, on applying CWC, held at the Al Shafaq Club at the Ministry of Defence, Al Araimi said that the legal adviser of the Organisation for Prohibiting Chemical Weapons had lauded the country's continuous cooperation and appreciated the efforts taken by the authorities to apply the CWC.
The workshop was part of Oman's efforts to protect human health and environment through arms control agreement, which outlaws the production, stockpiling and use of chemical weapons.
The workshop highlighted the role of the Sultanate to apply the convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and their Destruction.
Al Araimi reiterated that Oman always stood with the articles of the CWC. He added that the field visits by the specialists from the Organisation for Prohibiting Chemical Weapons clarified that the Sultanate cooperates and complies with the organisation's policy.
The Legal Counsel of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons during his recent visit also certified that the chemicals available in Oman were for peaceful use, he infomed.
Al Araimi also stressed that Oman exercised good control over these (chemical) materials. "We ensure that none of the harmful chemicals enter Oman."
He also assured the workshop participants that recent inspection under the CWC had shown that this region was free of chemical weapons.
