Biological And Toxin Weapons Convention And Iraq

EDM number 303 in 2004-05, proposed by Austin Mitchell on 06/12/2004.

That this House notes that the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC) binds signatories not to transfer to any nation any agents, toxins, weapons and equipment of biological and toxin warfare and provides that any nation finding another signatory in breach of this undertaking may lodge a complaint to the Security Council; understands that the Riegle Report to the US Senate has published evidence that the US sold biological materials including Bacillus Anthracis, Clostridium Botulinum, Histoplasma capsulatum, Brucella, Melitensis and Clostridium Perfringens to various agencies of the Iraqi Government pursuant to export licenses issued by the US Department of Commerce, in quantities set out in the Report and at the time when the US was fully aware of the Iraqi biological warfare programme and that these exports have been fully documented and are also set out in the 23rd September 2002 edition of Newsweek and by Senator Robert Byrd in speeches in the Senate on 20th and 26th September 2002; requests the Government to exercise its power to report these sales to the Security Council of the United Nations in the light of its commitment in the April 2002 Green Paper, Strengthening Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention that, those at every level responsible for any breach of international law relating to the use of such weapons will be held personally accountable because compliance with the BTWC is an issue the international community cannot avoid; and urges the Prime Minister either to lodge the necessary complaint with the Security Council of the UN or change his stated policy after an appropriate public announcement and discussion.

This motion has been signed by a total of 126 MPs.