ARAB STATES MISSING AS NATIONS BAN CHEMICAL WEAPONS

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, January 14, 1993                   TAG: 9301140020
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A-11   EDITION: METRO  
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: PARIS                                LENGTH: Medium
ARAB STATES MISSING AS NATIONS BAN CHEMICAL WEAPONS
Diplomats from the United States, Russia and more than 120 other nations met Wednesday to begin signing an unprecedented treaty to rid the world of chemical weapons.
The only cloud was a decision by most Arab states not to sign in protest over Israel's refusal to endorse the nuclear non-proliferation treaty. But four Arab nations - Morocco, Algeria, Mauritania and Tunisia - were among the first states signing the accord, and speakers implored Arab holdouts to reconsider.
The treaty marks the first-ever prohibition of an entire class of weapons of mass destruction. Nations signing it will be required to destroy stockpiles of chemical weapons and the factories that produce them within 10 years of ratification.
The pact also includes strong provisions for international inspections of suspected violations.
In a speech opening the three-day signing ceremony, U.N. Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali called the treaty "a historic result for which the entire international community can take credit."
"This treaty bans weapons that are not only extremely dangerous, but are less expensive than other weapons of mass destruction. These are weapons that are not only lethal but can spread easily throughout the world," Boutros-Ghali said.
The ceremony was held at the headquarters of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Most participating countries were represented by their foreign ministers, and dozens of meetings took place on the sidelines, including sessions on Bosnia-Herzegovina and Iraq.
The refusal of most Arab states to sign was a setback because the treaty was aimed partly at stabilizing the Middle East following the Persian Gulf War.
U.S. Secretary of State Lawrence Eagleburger, in his address, urged all Arab nations to sign, saying that would be a major step toward eliminating weapons of mass destruction from the region.
"The fact of the matter is that linking this convention to other issues cannot affect the fate of those issues, but it will surely undermine the effect of this treaty in the one region most exposed to the danger of chemical weapons - namely, the Middle East," Eagleburger said.
Iraq, the only nation besides the United States and Russia that admits to having chemical weapons, has refused to sign the treaty.
Syria and North Korea, suspected of developing them secretly, also are not expected to sign. Libya's representative was on the list of speakers, suggesting it might sign.
The Arab countries and North Korea could face embargoes on chemical imports as a way of compelling them to sign.
The treaty requires signers to confirm whether they have chemical weapons and to destroy their stocks and weapons-making facilities within 10 years after 65 nations ratify the accord.

by Bhavesh Jinadra by CNB