Annan welcomes 'positive' end to meeting on anti-biological weapons treaty

The United Nations Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, today welcomed the "positive outcome" of the most recent review of an international treaty against biological weapons, which just concluded its work in Geneva.

The resumed session of the Fifth Review Conference of the Biological Weapons Convention decided to hold annual meetings of the States Parties in the next three years leading to the 2006 Review Conference to address national measures to implement the Convention and to control dangerous pathogens.

The meeting also agreed to look at better international responses to, and investigations of, the alleged use of biological weapons, and improved surveillance of infectious diseases.

"These agreed steps constitute an encouraging development in the process of strengthening the Biological Weapons Convention," said a statement issued by a spokesman for the Secretary-General.