CONFERENCE ON BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS TAKES NOTE OF THE REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE

The Sixth Review Conference of the States Parties to the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and on Their Destruction this morning heard a presentation on the report of the Committee of the Whole, which contained an article-by-article review of the Convention with a view to assuring that its provisions were being realized.

The Sixth Review Conference established the Committee of the Whole to consider in detail the substantive issues relevant to the Convention with a view to facilitating the work of the Convention. The report of the Committee of the Whole contained information on the Committee's activities during the present session. During the course of the Review Conference, the Committee has held meetings as well as informal consultations. In the course of its work, the Committee of the Whole undertook the review of the operation of the Convention as provided for in Article XII, that is, it undertook a review of Articles I through XV, as well as the preambular paragraphs and purposes of the Convention. It also considered issues identified in the review of the operation of the Convention as provided, and any possible consensus follow-up action, as well as other matters, including the question of future review of the Convention.

Based on those discussions, the Chairman of the Committee produced an outline of the draft final document of the Conference, which was included in an annex to the Committee's report. The language in the outline had not been agreed but, rather, was intended to serve as a basis for further discussion in the plenary, with a view to reaching consensus on a final document.

Introducing the report of the Committee of the Whole, Doru Costea, the Chairman of the Committee of the Whole, said that this morning the Committee of the Whole had considered the report circulated yesterday afternoon and had adopted the draft report, with the understanding that several place holders would be filled in as the debates reached a final result. He thanked delegations for their cooperation and readiness to engage effectively and constructively in the work of the Committee.

The Conference took formal note of the report. President Masood Khan then thanked the Chairman of the Committee, and the members of the Bureau, for their work which represented "a tremendous amount of progress", and which had given the Conference "a sound basis on which to complete [its] work".

The next public plenary meeting of the Conference will be on Friday, 1 December in the afternoon, when it is scheduled to undertake another progress review.


For use of the information media; not an official record

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