Brunei May Sign IAEA Additional Protocol
By Azlan Othman

Bandar Seri Begawan - Brunei, which is in the process of drafting the Chemical Weapon Prohibition Order and a signatory to the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, is considering signing the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) additional protocol.

Brunei has already signed international treaties and agreements such as nuclear weapons accord, biological weapons convention as well as convention on the prohibition of the development, production, stockpiling and use of chemical weapons and their destructive substances.

Speaking at the one-day Brunei-Japan Export Control Seminar yesterday, Senior Supt Hj Kamsani bin Hj Mohd Hassan, Head of Customs, Services and Techniques at the Royal Brunei Customs and Excise Department, said Brunei supports Security Council Resolution 1540, which seeks to curb "non-state actors".

The National Legislation includes Biological Weapons Act 1975, Customs (Prohibition and Restriction on Imports and Exports) Order 1980, Internal Security Act 1984, Poisons Act 1984, Arms and Explosive Act 2002 and Anti-Terrorism (Financial and other Measures) Order 2002.

Hj Kamsani highlighted the Customs Export Procedures.

As for the carriers, the master of the vessel or agent will present required documents to an officer of Customs, the approved declarant will be responsible for the accuracy of the export declaration and that exported goods must be declared in prescribed form and will be verified by Customs before the goods are exported.

The goods are also examined and must have export declaration.

Meanwhile, Atsuo Shibota, Director-General of Trade Control Department of Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said each Asian country is beginning to recognise the importance of export control.

The Asean-Japan Commemorative Summit Meeting held in December 2003 declared that serious threats posed by the proliferation of WMD could be eliminated by effective export control.

It proves that many Asian countries accept as common knowledge that effective export control is crucial in preventing the proliferation of WMD, he added.

He said that Japan would be happy, if necessary communication network is established and expanded, to strengthen future economic cooperation, including export control with Brunei.

Export control is a system of preventing WMD such as nuclear weapons and chemical weapons from spreading to terrorists and countries of concern. Each country should conduct trade control to prevent components and technologies of WMD from being exported to terrorists and countries of concern.'

Export permits issued by the government should be compulsory prior to the export of components, which might be able to be used for WMD, and the checking of cargoes should be carried out when necessary.  -- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin

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