How soon must states possessing chemical weapons production facilities destroy them?
Chemical weapons production facilities are to be destroyed as soon as possible, with the order of destruction determined by the Executive Council. Production facilities can also be temporarily converted into chemical weapons destruction facilities, which are to be destroyed thereafter. As with the chemical weapons themselves, the leveling out principle governs the production facility destruction process. Production capacity, rather than the quantity of chemical weapons, is the factor that must be diminished on an equal basis among member states over the ten-year period. Destruction of production facilities began in 1997 and will proceed to completion after ten years with three leveling out destruction periods: years 2 through 5, years 6 through 8, and years 9 through 10. International inspectors from the Technical Secretariat and on-site monitoring instruments placed at chemical weapons production, storage, and destruction sites are on hand to monitor the destruction process very close
