Geneva, November 8 (RHC)-- Cuba has advocated for the creation of a verification protocol for the successful and efficient implementation of the 1972 Convention on Biological Weapons.

Addressing the opening session in Geneva on Monday of the Eighth Review Conference of the Biological Weapons Convention, Cuban permanent representative Anayansi Rodríguez Camejo affirmed that the best way of strengthening the convention and guaranteeing its effective implementation is through  a binding protocol that includes a verification mechanism.

The Cuban diplomat called on developed countries to boost international cooperation in the biological field for peaceful purposes through technology transfer, the sharing of experiences and expertise, and the elimination of existing restrictions that contravene the letter and spirit of the Convention. 

Anayansi Rodríguez denounced the U.S. blockade of Cuba, saying it runs against the principles and regulations stipulated in the Convention and constitutes the main obstacle to the full development of the Cuban biotechnological sector and the country's cooperation with and assistance to other countries and peoples the world over. 

The Biological Weapons Convention (BWC), which entered into force in 1975, was the first multilateral disarmament treaty banning the development, production and stockpiling of an entire category of weapons of mass destruction. To this date, a total of 177 countries have adhered to the Convention, including Cuba which ratified it in 1976.