In March 1993, Armenia signed the multilateral Chemical Weapons Convention, which calls for the eventual elimination of chemical weapons.

On October 14, 2013, Syria officially acceded to the Chemical Weapons Convention.

In the announcement, the OPCW and the Chemical Weapons Convention were praised.

The use of chemical and biological weapons in warfare are also prohibited by numerous chemical arms control agreements and the Biological Weapons Convention.

1993 The United Nations Chemical Weapons Convention was signed by 162 member countries, banning the production and stockpiling of many chemical weapons, including sarin.

Under the Chemical Weapons Convention (1993), there is a legally binding, world wide ban on the production, stockpiling, and use of chemical weapons and their precursors.

The stockpiles would then be destroyed and Syria would fully join the international Chemical Weapons Convention.

Using chemical weapons is indeed a breach of international conventions, including the Chemical Weapons Convention, which Syria has never signed, and the Geneva Protocol, to which it is a party.

See also 1990 Chemical Weapons Accord Chemical weapon designation General Purpose Criterion List of chemical warfare agents Riot control References External links Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons Home page Lecture by Santiago Oñate Laborde entitled The Chemical Weapons Convention an Overview in the Lecture Series of the United Nations Audiovisual Library of International Law

Although possessing these weapons of mass destruction is technically not illegal, most states are parties to the 1993 Chemical Weapons Convention, which Syria has refused to sign.

Modern agreements The 1993 Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) is the most recent arms control agreement with the force of International law.

Syria Prior to September 2013, Syria was one of only 7 states which are not party to the Chemical Weapons Convention.

Likewise, the Chemical Weapons Convention, steered through the UN Conference on Disarmament in Geneva, is still the most robust arms control treaty related to weapons of mass destruction ever negotiated.

Its full name is the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on their Destruction .

Furthermore, deployment of chemical weapons invites escalation.

Axis forces employed biological and chemical weapons.

Iraq The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons which oversees destruction measures has announced The government of Iraq has deposited its instrument of accession to the Chemical Weapons Convention with the Secretary General of the United Nations and within 30 days, on 12 February 2009, will become the 186th State Party to the Convention .

Use Chemical warfare ( CW ) involves using the toxic properties of chemical substances as weapons.

Definition Chemical warfare is different from the use of conventional weapons or nuclear weapons because the destructive effects of chemical weapons are not primarily due to any explosive force.

(If chemical weapons are deployed, intervention will become inevitable.)

However, chemical weapons were not used to the extent feared.

Framework For Elimination of Syrian Chemical Weapons An agreement was reached September 14, 2013 called the Framework For Elimination of Syrian Chemical Weapons leading to the elimination of Syria's chemical weapon stockpiles by mid 2014 .

Obama has his red line on the use of chemical weapons.

That agreement outlaws the production, stockpiling and use of chemical weapons.

Protection against chemical weapons includes proper equipment, training, and decontamination measures.

India India declared its stock of chemical weapons in June 1997.

Libya's post Gaddafi National Transitional Council is cooperating with the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons regarding the destruction of all legacy chemical weapons in the country.

Lethality Chemical weapons are said to make deliberate use of the toxic properties of chemical substances to inflict death .

First, there is evidence that the Syrian opposition has amassed chemical weapons.

Now Israel says that chemical weapons have been used by the Syrian regime.

Russia Russia entered the CWC with the largest declared stockpile of chemical weapons.

Syria reportedly manufactures Sarin, Tabun, VX, and mustard gas types of chemical weapons.

Nevertheless, the country is believed to possess a substantial arsenal of chemical weapons.

Maintaining the international prohibition on the use of chemical weapons is an urgent concern.

Libya Libya used chemical weapons under Muammar Gaddafi's regime in a war with Chad.

While the treaty prohibits the use of chemical and biological weapons, it does not address the production, storage, or transfer of these weapons.

Japan Japan stored chemical weapons on the territory of mainland China between 1937 and 1945.

Official policy now reflects the likelihood of chemical weapons being used as a terrorist weapon.

By 2005, from among the six nations that had declared possession of chemical weapons, India was the only one to meet its deadline for chemical weapons destruction and for inspection of its facilities by the OPCW.

One is to develop and promote a draft Nuclear Weapons Convention as a framework for action.

The Russian proposal forced the West to choose prohibition of chemical weapons as its immediate goal.

Assad now appears prepared to give up his chemical weapons in exchange for remaining in power.

The U.S. policy on the use of chemical weapons is to reserve the right to retaliate.

The weapons are classified as abandoned chemical weapons under the CWC and Japan has started their destruction in September 2010 in Nanjing using mobile destruction facilities.

Lethal, unitary, chemical agents and munitions are extremely volatile and they constitute a class of hazardous chemical weapons that are now being stockpiled by many nations.