German Democratic Republic
Practice Relating to Rule 73. Biological Weapons
In the preliminary stages of the First Review Conference of States Parties to the Biological Weapons Convention in 1980, the German Democratic Republic (GDR) stated:
Being a Party to the [1972 Biological Weapons Convention], the German Democratic Republic has been fulfilling conscientiously its obligations deriving from the provisions of the Convention. Since the GDR has not developed, produced, stockpiled or otherwise acquired or retained such agents, toxins, weapons, equipment or means of delivery as specified in article I, the ruling in article II calling for their destruction and diversion to peaceful purposes is not applicable.
… Violations by individuals of the provisions of the Convention are to be regarded as impossible to occur so that, for its part, the German Democratic Republic definitely can declare that the Convention is being strictly observed.
At the First Review Conference of States Parties to the Biological Weapons Convention in 1980, the representative of the German Democratic Republic stated:
His country had been among the first to accede to the [1972 Biological Weapons Convention] and … it had strictly abided by the obligations it had thereby assumed. His Government held the view that the Convention also covered the prohibition of all new scientific and technological developments in the field of microbiological and other biological agents and toxins and recombinant DNA techniques. The Convention thus prohibited their misuse for military purposes.