CROATIAN DELEGATES ATTEND OPCW SESSION

THE HAGUE, Nov 16 (Hina) - The Organisation for the Prevention of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) on Monday met in The Hague for its second session, which will also be attended by Croatia. The Croatian delegation at the session is headed by Croatia's permanent representative at the OPCW and Ambassador to the Netherlands, Jaksa Muljacic, and an ambassador at the Foreign Ministry, Marija Besker. The session is to discuss the implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention in the member-states and adopt a budget for 1999. The Croatian delegates are to deliver a speech on Croatia's experience in implementing the Convention. Croatia, which is an active participant in some OPCW bodies, has announced that it will run for membership in the OPCW Executive Council next year. The Chemical Weapons Convention was signed in Paris in 1993 by 89 states and it went into force in April 1997. Croatia was among the first signatories to the document and ratified it in 1995. The purpose of the Convention is to prevent the misuse, trade and possession of chemical weapons and it envisages its annihilation within a ten-year period. For Croatia, which does not have chemical weapons, the Convention is important because it enables a balance between the system of control on one side and promotion, free trade and cooperation between member-states in using chemical technology on the other. (hina) rml /sp