Cuba acknowledges UN step to strengthen Biological Weapons Convention

Havana, Dec 16 (RHC) Cuba considered Friday the results of the 9th Review Conference of that international instrument as a modest but tangible step forward in strengthening the Biological Weapons Convention, during a forum that ended in Geneva, Switzerland.

Speaking on the closing day of the three-week event, the head of the island's delegation, Rodolfo Benítez, highlighted the creation of a working group in charge of elaborating specific measures to strengthen the Convention, including legally binding verification actions.

The director general of Multilateral Affairs and International Law of the Cuban Foreign Ministry stressed that the establishment of this group was advocated by the Antillean nation and other members of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM).

During the Conference, these delegations advocated concrete actions to prevent and avoid the use of biological weapons and to promote cooperation for the peaceful use of biological agents.

Benítez regretted that some States Parties maintained an inflexible position, which prevented the forum from providing the multilateral mechanism with a Cooperation Committee aimed at boosting collaboration in the fields of biology and biotechnology, which are key in areas ranging from human health to agricultural development.

Cuba advocates that this body should work for the elimination of unilateral coercive measures applied against some State’s Parties to the Convention, such as the economic, commercial, and financial blockade that Washington has imposed on the island for more than six decades.

The Cuban delegation was also made up of the ambassador to the UN in Geneva, Juan Antonio Quintanilla, and other diplomats. (Source: PL)