APPENDIX 4
Memorandum from Professor Graham Pearson,
Department of Peace Studies, University of Bradford
Covering letter to Foreign and Commonwealth Office
dated 26 June 2002
1. The Green Paper issued on 29 April 2002
solicited the views of Members of Parliament, NGOs, other organisations
and individuals with an interest in this subject so that the options
for strengthening the BTWC set out in this paper—or any
other options that may be suggested—receive the widest possible
consideration and debate before the reconvened Review Conference.
We very much welcome the appearance of the Green Paper as it should
provide a much needed impetus to restart progress towards a much
needed strengthening of the BTWC.
2. I have much pleasure in enclosing copies
of Review Conference Paper No 6 entitled "Return to Geneva:
The United Kingdom Green Paper" which I have prepared
to provide a detailed assessment and analysis of the Green Paper[1].
Copies will be posted on the Bradford Strengthening the Biological
and Toxin Weapons Convention website and also circulated to the
States Parties engaged in the Review Conference.
3. As I note in the Conclusions section
of RCP No 6, the UK government, one of the three co-depositaries
of the BTWC, is to be commended for the preparation of the Green
Paper which provides a valuable insight into its views as to how
the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention should be strengthened
which is a key element in its strategy against biological weapons.
The Green Paper indentifies a range of the measures that could
be deployed to strengthen the Convention. Regrettably, the Green
Paper limits its consideration to measures which have been indentified
by the UK, its EU partners, the US and academics in a number of
countries and does not allude to the fact that several of the
measures identified were also supported by other State Parties
in their statements at the Fifth Review Conference in November
2001. It also does not mention other measures proposed by other
States Parties at the Review Conference.
4. In considering the forthcoming resumed
Review Conference there would be significant benefit to be gained
from creating a comprehensive list of the measures proposed to
the Fifth Review Conference as this could then attract support
from many States Parties as being a list that should be reviewed
and taken further at a meeting subsequent to the Review Conference.
This comprehensive list of measures should be developed and agreed
by the Western Group in advance of the resumption of the Review
Conference and the opportunity should be taken to see whether
the Eastern Group would be willing to be associated with the comprehensive
list. The list should be tabled by Australia on behalf of the
Western Group as a Working Paper for the resumed Review Conference.
The analysis of all these measures shows that some would require
little or no negotiation prior to being taken forward whilst others
would require negotiation. It is also evident that an interim
supportive institution would be immensely beneficial in helping
to nurture and sustain the Convention between the Review Conferences
and could be highly effective in taking forward several of the
proposed measures. Recommendations are made as to how the various
measures might be efficiently progressed.
5. In addition, we greatly welcome the proposed
annual meetings involving both those in government and in the
non-government communities and suggest that there would be advantage
in holding the first such meeting in October 2002—after
the Foreign Office has received the comments on the Green Paper
and prior to the resumption of the Review Conference on 11 November
2002.
Professor Graham Pearson
26 June 2002
1 Not printed. This document is posted on the website:
www.bradford.ac.uk/acad/sbtwc/ Back
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