Biden welcomed the destruction of all its chemical weapons stockpiles: “It is one more step towards a world free of horrors”.
The U.S. leader urged other countries such as Russia and Syria to follow his lead and align themselves with the 1997 Convention
The United States concluded on Friday the destruction of its stockpile of chemical weapons, a milestone celebrated by President Joe Biden, who assured that it is “one more step towards a world free of horrors”.
The Blue Grass Army Depot in eastern Kentucky contained 523 tons of sarin, mustard, and VX gas in shells and rockets, which were terminated Friday (AP)
“The United States has worked tirelessly for more than 30 years to eliminate its chemical weapons stockpile. Today, I am proud to announce that it has safely destroyed the last munition in that stockpile,” the president said.
One of these stockpiles was located in Pueblo County, Colorado, and contained some 2,600 tons of mustard gas contained in 780,000 munitions, which were disposed of in June. The other, the Blue Grass Army Depot, was in eastern Kentucky and contained 523 tons of sarin, mustard and VX gas in shells and rockets, which were terminated Friday.
The leader of the Republicans in the Senate, Mitch McConnell, celebrated this event and pointed out that “although the use of these lethal weapons will forever be an indelible stain on history, our nation has finally fulfilled its promise to rid ourselves of this scourge”.
This event followed the efforts of successive administrations that had taken the position not to develop or deploy more chemical weapons. “I thank the thousands of Americans who gave their time and talents to this noble and challenging mission,” he continued.
The eradication of the stockpile also meant that the United States adhered to its commitment under the Chemical Weapons Convention, which entered into force in 1997 and prohibits adhering countries from developing, producing, stockpiling, transferring and using these weapons.
This was “the first time that an international body has verified the destruction of an entire category of declared weapons of mass destruction”.
In this sense, Biden urged other countries that have not yet ratified the convention to join this global veto and allow it to acquire “its full potential”.
So far, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) accounted for 193 countries committed to the Convention – which translates into 98% of the population living under its protection – although Biden highlighted the cases of Russia and Syria, which have stepped outside the established frameworks.
“Russia and Syria should come back into compliance with the Convention and admit their undeclared programs that have been used to commit atrocities and brazen attacks (…). Together with our partners we will not stop until we can finally and forever rid the world of this scourge,” Biden continued.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that the United States produced this chemical weaponry between 1914, during World War I, and 1968, as a deterrent against similar weapons used by other countries.
During this period, the country managed to acquire a total of 40,000 tons of weapons in nine stockpiles, although they were never used.