Mexico City, December 3 (PL-RHC)-- Mexico was unanimously elected to chair the 20 Conference of States Parties to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons which is based in The Hague, Netherlands.

It is the first time that Mexico presides over the Conference of States Parties, and the proposed appointment came from the Group of Latin America and the Caribbean countries, reported the Ministry of Foreign Affairs through a statement.

Eduardo Ibarrola Nicolin, Mexico's ambassador to the Kingdom of the Netherlands and permanent representative to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, attends the convention on behalf of their country.

With regard to the total elimination of weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear, chemical, biological and radiological, Mexico actively participates' in international efforts to secure the prohibition and complete destruction of chemical weapons, "the Foreign Ministry said.

The Chemical Weapons Convention was signed on January 13, 1993 in Paris, France, and entered into force on April 29, 1997. It prohibits the development, production, stockpiling and use of chemical weapons and provides for their destruction. With the recent ratifications of Myanmar and Angola, it is almost universal with 192 member states.

Among other issues, the 20 Conference of States Parties, scheduled until December 4th, shall review the status of implementation of each of its provisions, including international cooperation, national implementation and total destruction of existing stockpiles.

The agenda also includes issues such as education and the establishment of ethical guidelines for the chemical industry.