Geneva Protocol
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Robot-assisted [[WP:D|disambiguation]]: French
The '''Protocol for the Prohibition of the Use in War of Asphyxiating, Poisonous or other Gases, and of Bacteriological Methods of Warfare''', usually called the '''[[Geneva Protocol]]''', is a treaty prohibiting the first use of chemical and biological weapons. It was signed at [[Geneva]] on [[June 17]], [[1925]] and was entered into force on [[February 8]], [[1928]].
It prohibits the use of [[chemical weapon]]s and [[biological weapon]]s, but has nothing to say about production, storage or transfer. Later treaties did cover these aspects -- the [[1972]] [[Biological Weapons Convention]] and the [[1993]] [[Chemical Weapons Convention]].
A number of countries submitted reservations when becoming parties to the Geneva Protocol declaring that they only regarded the non-use obligations as applying to other parties and that these obligations would cease to apply if the prohibited weapons were used against them.
==History==
Although it is popularly believed that the German army was the first to use gas it was in fact initially deployed by the [[France|French]]. In the first month of the war, August 1914, they fired tear-gas grenades ([[xylyl bromide]]) against the Germans. Chemical weapons were used by [[Germany]] in [[Ypres]], [[Belgium]] in 1915 by releasing [[chlorine gas]]. The [[Treaty of Versailles]] included some provisions that banned Germany from either manufacturing or importing chemical weapons. Similar treaties banned [[Austria]], [[Bulgaria]], and [[Hungary]] from chemical weapons.
At the end of World War I, the Allies wanted to reaffirm the Treaty of Versailles, and the [[United States]] introduced the [[Washington Naval Treaty|Treaty of Washington]]. The [[United States Senate]] gave consent for ratification but it failed to enter into force. [[France]] objected to the submarine provisions of the treaty and thus the treaty failed.
At the 1925 Geneva Conference for the Supervision of the International Traffic in Arms the French suggested a protocol for non-use of poisonous gases. Poland suggested the addition of bacteriological weapons. It was signed on June 17th.
==Chemical weapons prohibitions==
{| class="wikitable" border="1" cellpadding="2"
!width="50"|Date
!width="225"|Name
!width="225"|Effect
|-
|1675
|Strasbourg Agreement
|The first international agreement limiting the use of chemical weapons, in this case, poison bullets.
|-
|1874
|Brussels Convention on the Law and Customs of War
|Prohibited the employment of poison or poisoned weapons, and the use of arms, projectiles or material to cause unnecessary suffering.
|-
|1899
|1st Peace Conference at the Hague
|European Nations prohibited "the use of projectiles whose sole purpose is the release of asphyxiating or harmful gases"
|-
|1907
|2nd Peace Conference at the Hague
|The Conference added the use of poisons or poisoned weapons.
|-
|1919
|Treaty of Versailles
|Prohibited poison gas in Germany (Added by E.Arms)
|-
|1922
|Treaty of Washington
|Failed because France objected to clauses relating to submarine warfare.
|-
|1925
|Geneva Protocol
|Prohibited the use of "asphyxiating gas, or any other kind of gas, liquids, substances or similar materials"
|-
|1972
|Biological and Toxins Weapons Convention
|No verification mechanism, negotiations for a protocol to make up this lack halted by USA in 2001
|-
|1993
|Chemical Weapons Convention Signed
|Comprehensive bans on development, production, stockpiling and use of Chemical Weapons, with destruction timelines.
|-
|}
==External links==
* [http://www.brad.ac.uk/acad/sbtwc/keytext/genprot.htm The text of the protocol]
* [http://www.sipri.org/contents/cbwarfare/cbw_research_doc/cbw_historical/cbw-hist-geneva-parties.html List of member states and reservations] by [[SIPRI]]
* [http://www.firstworldwar.com/weaponry/gas.htm Weapons of War: Poison Gas]
[[Category:Biological warfare]]
[[Category:Chemical warfare]]
[[Category:Treaties]]
[[Category:Human rights instruments]]
[[de:Genfer Protokoll]]
[[it:Protocollo di Ginevra]]
[[nl:Protocol van Genève]]
[[ja:ジュネーヴ議定書 (1925年)]]
[[pt:Protocolo de Genebra]]