US chemical weapons in Panama for removal

A PLAN  for the destruction of chemical weapons left by the US army  on Panama’s San Jose Island, has been endorsed by the  Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW)

In a technical inspection carried out by the OPCW in 2002, it detected eight chemical weapons left on the island by the US Army.

The destruction work will be carried out by North American specialists and members of the Technical Explosives  Unit of the National Police.

The destruction must be done between September and November.

The destruction of the chemical weapons is the result of a cooperation agreement between the Republic of Panama and the United States of America, based on Article IV, paragraph 12, of the Convention on the prohibition of development, production, and use  of c hemical weapons and their destruction.

The bilateral agreement includes the financing and execution of the operation by the US.

The operation is subject to monitoring and verification by the OPCW.

The plan for the destruction of chemical munitions and its subsequent verification was presented to the 85th Executive Council of the OPCW by the Representative of Panama to The Hague, The Netherlands, Willys Delvalle, and was publicly acknowledged by Argentina, Chile, Mexico And Guatemala.