Cuba reiterates rejection of weapons of mass destruction in The Hague

Cuba reiterated here today its rejection of the use of weapons of mass destruction, on the Day of Remembrance for All Victims of Chemical Warfare.

The Cuban representation reaffirmed that Latin America and the Caribbean is a zone of peace, free of weapons of mass destruction, during the Twenty-third Conference of the States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention, according to diplomatic sources.

The meeting was also an opportunity to ratify the commitment of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to the goals of peace, security and multilateralism.

With the participation of senior officials of the Conference, representatives of the OPCW member states, the Dutch Government and international organizations, a floral wreath was laid at the memorial site and a minute of silence was held in memory of the victims.

Last year, Cuba reiterated at this meeting that the destruction of all categories of chemical weapons remains one of the fundamental objectives of the Organization, and that it must be completed by possessing States as soon as possible and under the verification annex.

The Cuban delegation also referred to the importance of promoting the economic and technological development of States, particularly the less developed ones, and called for the full, effective and non-discriminatory implementation of Article XI of the Convention.

On this point, Cuba denounced the unilateral blockade policy imposed by the United States government against the island that constitutes a violation of the provisions of the aforementioned article.