Ladies and Gentlemen, it is worth considering why we are here. We share a common goal to exclude completely the possible use of chemical weapons, without crippling our ability to attain economic and technological advances in legitimate fields of chemistry. No country that prepares to use chemical weapons can claim to be part of the community of nations in good standing. Furthermore, the community of nations cannot tolerate any individual or group that seeks to develop and use chemical weapons no matter where such individual or group is located.