France welcomes Somalia''s adherence to chemical weapons convention

PARIS - France said on Tuesday that it praised the decision by Somalia to adhere to the Paris Convention banning chemical weapons, which was originally agreed to in 1993 and came into force in 1997.

The Convention sets out a process for disarmament and the total eradication of one category of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD). The Convention also provides for a verification system and prevents proliferation of chemical weapons.

Somalia is now the 189th nation to adhere to the chemical weapons ban. A handful of States have not signed the convention and some have signed but not ratified the text.

Among those who have refused to sign the convention are Syria, Egypt, North Korea, Angola and South Sudan. At the same time, Israel and Burma have signed but have not had the treaty ratified by the parliament, so the convention is not legally valid.

The French Foreign Ministry said that it hoped "the adherence of Somalia will have the value of example for those non-party States." France urged those non-signatories to immediately join the convention. (End)