Written question asked by Ian Gibson (Labour) on Tuesday, 16 October 2001, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 23 October 2001. It was answered by Ben Bradshaw (Labour) on Tuesday, 23 October 2001 on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions have taken place with other governments on the ratification of the verification protocol amendment to the Biological Weapons Convention 1972.

Answer: Dr. Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions have taken place with other Governments on the ratification of the verification protocol amendment to the Biological Weapons Convention 1972. [8621] Mr. Bradshaw: None on the ratification of the protocol. The last meeting of the Ad Hoc Group of the States Parties to the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC) which had been negotiating a Protocol took place from 24 July to 17 August 2001. The meeting concluded without agreement on a Protocol text or a future negotiating process. We continue to support the strengthening of the BTWC and have regular discussions with like-minded partners about further options to achieve this objective.

Secondary information