Chemical and Biological Terrorism: Reflections on the Wilton Park Conference: 9-11 February 2001.

by John Ellis van Courtland Moon, Professor Emeritus

I. Participants and Setting:The conference on "International Co-Operation to Prevent CBW Terrorism", chaired by Dr. Richard Latter, the Director of the Wilton Park Center, took place at Wiston House, West Sussex, from 9-11 February 2001. Wiston House is a 16th century mansion overlooking the Downs. The variety of professions represented at the conference reflected the complexity of dealing with the possibility of chemical and biological terrorism. The participants included medical crisis managers, arms controllers, academics, government officials, police superintendents and constables, scientists, military officers, defense and foreign office officials, civil defense officials, international security analysts. They came from a wide-variety of countries ranging from Nepal to Sweden although the heaviest representation came from the United States and the United Kingdom.

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The BTWC Protocol: The Final Stage

Graham S. Pearson

The Ad Hoc Group: Resolving the Remaining Issues (ASA 00-5) reported on the twentieth Ad Hoc Group (AHG) session in July/August 2000 when the remaining issues were analysed. Since then the Ad Hoc Group has held two further sessions -- the twenty-first a three week session in November /December 2000 and the twenty-second a two week session in February 2001. Twenty-first Session During the November/December session, negotiations took place in a number of fora: the Friends of the Chair continued to hold formal meetings to develop the text for which they are responsible as well as also holding informal meetings and consultations with delegations to explore possible resolutions to remove square brackets. The Chairman also continued a series of bilateral informal consultations with the representatives of the States Parties participating in the negotiations to address the outstanding key issues in order to explore conceptual approaches to find common ground; over 80 such consultations were held in the week before and during the session. (continued inside)

And What About Nuclear and Radiological Terrorism?

Bernard Anet
AC-Laboratorium Spiez CH-3700 Spiez, Switzerland

Introduction: In the context of chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear terrorism, so-called CBRN terrorism, radiological and nuclear terrorism is widely considered as a major if not the ultimate terrorist threat for modern societies. Highly industrialized countries could be extremely sensitive to terrorist aggressions of this kind. This assertion nevertheless needs to be scrutinized.

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Conforming to the CWC is not Easy and not Cheap

Barbara B. Price, PhD and Richard M. Price, Col. USAF Ret.

Introduction: The ratification of the Chemical Weapons Convention, CWC, and its entry into force on 29 April 1997, 180 days after the deposition of the 65th instrument of ratification, was a milestone in treaties and conventions for weapons. Most of us understand the CWC as a primary mechanism in the effort to restrict the proliferation and use of weapons of mass destruction, WMD. Fewer people and governments appreciate that this treaty restricts trade in many chemicals to those countries that have ratified the CWC. Historically, chemical weapons have been regarded as relatively cheap to make and use, "the poor man's nuclear bomb."

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