In 2003, Belize ratified the Chemical Weapons Convention, joining 175 countries that have signed unto the convention. Since then, authorities have been working to complete requirements and that begins with legislation. That's why members of the Belize Defence Force, Police, Customs along with major chemical importers and others who have anything to do with chemicals in Belize are attending a 2 day seminar on the prohibition of chemical weapons. Facilitator Kevin Farmer says the seminar will look at Belize's draft legislation and see if it is ready for implementation.
Kevin Farmer,
"This training is to provide a little more information on what the obligations are under the Convention. We'll help Belize with their draft legislation, they've put together a very nice complete legislation in draft form and so we just want to get together with them and help find tune it and tweak it to meet all the obligations of the Convention. We know there's no chemical weapons in Belize and that's the least of our worries, we know that that's not happening down here. But what the Convention does is it helps states get together and unite for banning all chemical weapons all over the entire world. So one piece of that is putting in the proper legislation so that terrorists cannot use Belize as a place where they can come in and put together chemicals as a weapon and then use them against other people or even use them against Belize. If you get the legislation in place, that will help eliminate that threat."
Brig. Gen. Lloyd Gillett, BDF Commander
"Our interest here is the Chemical Weapons Prohibition Act of 2004 houses a Chemical Weapons Convention Office in the Ministry of Defense and so that office will be responsible for implementing the Convention, or ensuring that the Convention is implemented in Belize and it has a member of the BDF as the head of that office. So we're here to learn what our obligations are so that we can carry them out effectively."
The seminar concludes tomorrow.
