Saudi Arabia, along with 186 countries, signed the Chemical Weapon Convention (CWC) treaty prohibiting the use of chemical weapons in Colombo, Monday. “We discussed many issues before signing the treaty. The Kingdom's role is to support peace and stand against violence,” said Dr. Khalil Al-Khalil, member of the Shoura Council and head of the Security Affairs Commission and the Saudi delegation in Colombo. Members of the Shoura Council arrived in Colombo early on Aug 25 for the two-day meeting of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). Major Mohammed Abu-Sak and Saeed Al-Amri, arbitrator member of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs were among other dignitaries. “This treaty includes many conditions that must be followed by Arab and international countries to ensure world safety,” Al-Khalil said. “The treaty prohibits the use of chemical weapons in war and puts a restriction on weapon factories. All countries that have signed the treaty must declare the number of the chemical weapons they have.” “All countries should be inspected by the (OPCW) authority to make sure they are free of such weapons”, he added. The Kingdom has earlier signed a treaty prohibiting the use of chemical weapons in 1993. Five prominent countries – Russia, US, Israel, Egypt and Syria – did not take part in the event. Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman from the GCC also did not participate. __
