Brussels, 16/01/2009 (Agence Europe) - The Policy and Security Committee, the Council body comprising representatives of the member states with special responsibility for security and defence issues, decided on Friday 16 January 2009 to authorise the publication of a note assessing the implementation of the standard clause on non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) in EU agreements with third countries. The clause was introduced in agreements from November 2003 onwards. It is similar to the human rights clause and is therefore a vital element, non-respect of which could lead to the agreements being suspended. Under the clause, the parties agree to cooperate in combatting the proliferation of WMD and pledge to sign and ratify a series of international instruments like the Non-Proliferation Treaty, the Chemical Weapons Convention, the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention, the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, the IAEA Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement, the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material, and the Hague Code of Conduct against Ballistic Missile Proliferation. It establishes an effective control system for WMD export and transit, including dual-use technologies. Around a hundred countries have signed up to the clause since 2003. The note includes a table illustrating the clause's long-term impact on the signing and ratification of international instruments. The note will be published on the Council's website in the near future. (O.J./transl.fl)