The U.S. government said on Wednesday that it would work closely with Nigeria to lead a conversation on the implementation of a Chemical Weapons Convention for ECOWAS.
Mallory Stewart, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State, Bureau of Arms Control, Deterrence, and Stability (ADS), said this during a media roundtable with select journalists in Abuja.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Stewart, who is currently in Nigeria for the discussion, held the roundtable with the journalists to explain the purpose of her visit after meeting with Federal Government and ECOWAS officials.
“One of the other conversations we had was our upcoming partnership with the Nigerian government to lead a conversation for the sub-region on the implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention and understanding the challenges in that context.
“(That is) so that you know the Nigerian voice in explaining sometimes the concerns with respect to non-state actors; with respect to chemical security.
“How they can be important in the sub-region and how as a region – if ECOWAS member states can also work towards implementing some of these international conventions, it can be more stabilising,” she said.
Stewart said she also had engagements with officials over the serious security challenges in the Gulf of Guinea and how the U.S. could contribute to the Yaounde Architecture group’s efforts there.
She added that she explored the possibility of the U.S. providing additional capacities, communication mechanisms, and better standard operating procedures for diverse players working through an appreciation for Nigeria’s role.
“We’re working through an appreciation for the maritime centres that are based here to see if we can facilitate a better appreciation of more effective teamwork.
“We really hope to enable the capacity and enable the communication that Nigeria would bring into broader conversations, both sub-regionally and domestically,” she said.
Responding to a question on ECOWAS’ formation of a sub-regional standby force, and how the U.S. is keying into it, the envoy gave an assurance that the experts on the issue at the embassy would follow up on that.
“I met with representatives from ECOWAS, from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, from the Ministry of Defense.
“I look forward to meeting with the National Security Adviser later today. I met with civil society right before this (roundtable) to hear a lot of the challenges that are swirling around the sub-region.
“We focused more specifically on understanding the maritime security arena in the Gulf of Guinea and understanding how both Nigeria, specifically, and also ECOWAS, more generally, are approaching those challenges,” she said.
“So, we’re working with Nigeria, especially in the context of the international arena, such as the Chemical Weapons Convention, where Nigeria is a member of the Executive Council.
“We’re working with Nigeria to understand the angles that are important from a non-aligned country to appreciate when going into the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty conversations at the multilateral level,” Stewart added. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
