6 DE JULHO DE 1996

1105

The Executive Council shall respond by providing such assistance as appropriate.

6 — The Executive Council shall inform the States Parties about any request for clarification provided in this article.

7 — If the doubt or concern of a State Party about a possible non-compliance has not been resolved within 60 days after the submission of the request for clarification to the Executive Council, or it believes-its doubts warrant urgent consideration, notwithstanding its right to request a challange inspection, it may request a special session of the Conference in accordance-with article vm, paragraph 12, c). At such a special session, the Conference shall consider the matter and may recommend any measure it deems appropriate to resolve the situation.

Procedures for challenge inspections

8 — Each State Party has the right to request an on-site challenge inspection of any facility or location in the territory or in any other place under the jurisdiction or control of any other State Party for the sole purpose of clarifying and resolving any questions concerning possible noncompliance with the provisions of this Convention, and to have this inspection conducted anywhere without delay by an inspection team designated by the Director-General and in accordance with the Verification Annex.

9 — Each State Party is under the obligation to keep the inspection request within the scope of this Convention and to provide in the inspection request all appropriate information on the basis of which a concern has arisen regarding possible non-compliance with this Convention as specified in the Verification Annex. Each State Party shai\ refrain from unfounded inspection requests, care being taken to avoid abuse. The challenge inspection shall be carried out for the sole purpose of determining facts relating to the possible non-compliance.

10 — For the purpose of verifying compliance with the provisions of this Convention, each State Party shall permit the Technical Secretariat to conduct the on-site chal-)enge inspection pursuant to paragraph 8.

11 — Pursuant to a request for a challange inspection of a facility or location, and in accordance with the procedures provided for in the Verification Annex, the inspected State Party shall have:

a) The right and the obligation to make every reasonable effort to demonstrate its compliance with this Convention and, to this end, to enable the inspection team to fulfil its mandate;

b) The obligation to provide access within the requested site for the sole purpose of establishing facts relevant to the concern regarding possible' non-compliance; and

c) The right to take measures to protect sensitive installations, and to prevent disclosure of confidential information and data, not related to this Convention.

12 — With regard to an observer, the following shall apply.

a) The requesting State Party may, subject to the agreement of the inspected State Party, send a representative who may be a national either of the requesting State Party or of a third State Party,

to observe the conduct of the challange inspection;

b) The inspected State Party shall then grant access to the observer in accordance with the Verification Annex;

c) The inspected State Party shall, as a rule, accept the proposed observer, but if the inspected State Party exercises a refusal, that fact shall be recorded in the final report.

13 — The requesting State Party shall present an inspection request for an on-site challange inspection to the Executive Council'and at the same time to the Director-General for immediate processing.

14 — The Director-General shall immediately ascertain that the inspection request meets the requirements specified in part x, paragraph 4, of the Verification Annex, and, if necessary, assist the requesting State Party in filing the inspection request accordingly. When the inspection request fulfils the requirements, preparations for the challenge inspection shall begin.

15 — The Director-General shall transmit the inspection request to the inspected State Party not less than 12 hours before the planned arrival of the inspection team at the point of entry.

16 — After having received the inspection request, the Executive Council shall take cognizance of the Director-General's actions on the request and shall keep the case under its consideration throughout the inspection procedure. However, its deliberations shall not delay the inspection process.

17 — The Executive Council may, not later than 12 hours after having received the inspection request, decide by a three-quarter majority of all its members against carrying out the challange inspection, if it considers the inspection request to be frivolous, abusive or clearly beyond the scope of this Convention as described in paragraph 8. Neither the requesting nor the inspected State Party shall participate in such a decision. If the Executive Council decides against the challenge inspection, preparations shall be stopped, no further action on the inspection request shall be taken, and the States Parties concerned shall be informed accordingly.

18—The Director-General shall'issue an inspection mandate for the conduct of the challenge inspection. The inspection mandate shall be the inspection request referred to in paragraphs 8 and 9 put into operational terms, and shall conform with the inspection request.

19 — The challange inspection shall be conducted in accordance with part x or, in the case of alleged use, in accordance with part xi of the Verification Annex. The inspection team shall be guided by the principle of conducting the challenge inspection in the least intrusive manner possible, consistent with the effective and timely accomplishment of its mission.

20 — The inspected State Party shall assist the inspection team throughout the challenge inspection and facilitate its task. If the inspected State.Party proposes, pursuant to part x,' section C, of the Verification Annex, arrangements to demonstrate compliance with this Convention, alternative to full and comprehensive access, it shall make every reasonable effort; through consultations with the inspection team, to reach agreement on the modalities for establishing the facts with the aim of demonstrating its compliance.