The US has destroyed the last of its declared stockpiles of chemical weapons, the government announced on Friday.
“Today I am proud to announce that the United States has safely destroyed the last ammunition in this stockpile — bringing us one step closer to a world free of the horrors of chemical weapons,” US President Joe Biden said in a statement.
The last of the rockets filled with the British nerve agent (sarin) were destroyed by workers at the Blue Grass Army Depot in Kentucky last month, as were munitions containing mustard gas at the Pueblo Chemical Depot in Colorado.
“Though the use of these deadly agents will always be a blot on history, today our nation has finally fulfilled our pledge to rid our arsenal of this evil,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said earlier.
Globally Declared Stockpiles “Irrecoverably Destroyed”
The global chemical weapons regulator said the US was the last “owning state” and its announcement on Friday meant all declared stockpiles of chemical weapons worldwide were now “irreversibly destroyed.”
“The end of the destruction of all declared stockpiles of chemical weapons is an important milestone,” said Fernando Arias, head of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.
But the Hague-based regulator said it would remain vigilant after incidents in recent years involving chemical weapons use both in Syria and by Russia.
“Recent deployments and threats involving toxic chemical weapons demonstrate that preventing a recurrence will remain a priority for the organization,” Arias said.
chemical weapons around the world
Chemical weapons were first used on a large scale during World War I, with devastating results.
The US had until September 30 to eliminate its remaining chemical weapons under the Chemical Weapons Convention, which came into force 26 years ago.
There were 193 signatories to the 1997 treaty, with countries pledging never to use chemical weapons and to destroy all chemical weapons stockpiles.
North Korea, Israel, Egypt and South Sudan are among the countries that have not signed the agreement.
How would a chemical weapons attack be verified?
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By eliminating the munitions, the US is signaling that chemical weapons are no longer acceptable on the battlefield.
“It shows that countries really can ban a weapon of mass destruction,” said Paul F. Walker, vice chairman of the Arms Control Association and coordinator of the Chemical Weapons Convention Coalition.
“If they want to do it, all they need is political will and a good verification system.”
zc/wd (AP, AFP, Portal, dpa)