The Government will propose a motion in the Dail today to approve the terms of the Chemical Weapons Convention, which prohibits the manufacture and stockpiling of chemical weapons.

The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ms Joan Burton, said ratification of the convention was an important statement of overall Irish policy on disarmament. "We are actively following the negotiations to conclude a Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty," she said.

"We are also engaged in efforts to strengthen other disarmament measures, such as the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention."