09 Jul 2014

Parliament has passed the Chemical Weapons (Prohibition) Bill that was tabled before Parliament by Minister of Defence, Justice and Security Mr Ramadeluka Seretse for second reading.

Presenting the Bill in Parliament on Monday, July 7 the Minister said the objective of the Bill was to provide for the prohibition of the development, production, acquisition, stockpiling, retention, transfer and use of chemical weapons and other related matters.

He said Botswana being a state party to the Chemical Weapons Convention was obliged to domesticate the provisions of the convention and take part in the activities of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), which was established by the United Nations for the facilitation of State Parties in the implementation of the Convention.

“The Convention further calls on State Parties to put in place systems and strategies to promote the safe use of chemicals and exchange of scientific knowledge for the enhancement of economic and technological development of all State Parties. In terms of the convention, State Parties have an obligation to ensure that the achievements realised in the field of chemistry are exclusively used for the benefit of humanity and the promotion of life processes, and not as elements for making weapons of war,” he told the House.

Minister Seretse told Parliament that the Secretariat of the OPCW and other State Parties have expressed concern that Botswana was placing itself as a potential haven for the trafficking, manufacturing, transiting or stockpiling of chemicals that could be used as base elements for weapons. He said the concerns included the possibility of fertilizers, pesticides industrial and mining chemicals which if not monitored and regulated could be used for subversive purposes.

He said Botswana was, in accordance to the legal processes, equal to the task of taking necessary measures to domesticate the provisions of the Chemical Weapons Convention.

“The Chemical Weapons Bill domesticates the UN Convention on the prohibition, production, stockpiling and use of chemical weapons and their destruction by, instituting measures for the implementation of the Convention, laying down a legislative framework within which the control and prevention of the use of chemical weapons in Botswana is to be effected,” he added.

He also said there shall be a provision for a mechanism to cater for the safe destruction of chemical weapons so as to achieve the elimination of all types of weapons of mass destruction and regulate the use of chemicals, chemical manufacturing plants and prohibit the use of riot control agents as methods of warfare.

Having passed its second reading on Monday the Minister suggested a later date for the Bill to pass through to the Committee stage for a third reading.
ENDS