By Xinhua,
Abu Dhabi : Dubai Customs has organized a comprehensive training program for the control of weapons of mass destruction (WMD), the first of its kind in the region, the official Emirates News Agency reported Wednesday.
The two-day program which concluded on Tuesday was aimed to raise the degree of awareness about materials of direct usage and those of dual usage, the materials which are originally used in civil works but may be converted to assist with manufacturing WMD, according to the report.
The program covered all materials entering in the manufacturing of WMD including mineral, chemical, biological and nuclear substances as well as identifying the international materials coding, transport and freight systems.
Forty customs inspectors and a number of officers and other ranks from Dubai Civil Defense participated in the program.
“Dubai Customs has developed a program for controlling export and materials of dual usages. The program works on the control of products or materials contained in the international controlled lists that being exported through Dubai ports,” said Mohammed Al Mari, the Executive Director of Customs Cargo Operations at Dubai Customs.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) introduced a law last August to standardize the control over the trade of military equipment and strategic domestic-military dual-use items.
The law bans the export or re-export of “strategic goods,” including military equipment, chemical and biological materials and dual-use items which can be used for both domestic and military purposes.