Seventh Session

(27 June - 1 July 1994)

BACKGROUND PAPER BY THE EXECUTIVE SECRETARY

FACILITIES REQUIRED FOR THE

CONFERENCE OF THE STATES PARTIES

1. Introduction

The Expert Group on Transitional Arrangements (PC-VI/A/WP.7) discussed arrangements for the First Session of the Conference of the States Parties (CSP). The Group concluded that the issue of accommodation for the First Session should be brought to the attention of the Committee on Relations with the Host Country. The Expert Group also requested the Executive Secretary to prepare for that Committee a background paper setting out the legal, logistical and scheduling issues involved. This paper contains the preliminary views of the Executive Secretary on these issues.

2. Legal and scheduling aspects

2.1 A number of provisions in different Articles of the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and On Their Destruction (the Convention) lead to the conclusion that the First Session of the Conference of the States Parties as well as the first meeting of the Executive Council will have to take place immediately after entry into force of the Convention in order to comply with strict undertakings requiring implementation within a very short time frame. These Articles are, inter alia, Article VIII, paragraphs 10, 21(a), 21(i), 32, 41, 43, and the Annex on Implementation and Verification, Part II(A), paragraph 1.

2.2 The First Session of the Conference of the States Parties will have to approve draft agreements, provisions, guidelines and other recommendations made by the Preparatory Commission in accordance with the Resolution Establishing the Preparatory Commission for the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (the Paris Resolution). In addition, the Conference of the States Parties will have to elect the Executive Council, which in turn must, inter alia, make recommendations for the appointment of the Director-General.

2.3 Besides the political problems involved in the successful implementation of Article VIII, paragraph 23, concerning the composition of the Executive Council, it is possible to envisage a prolongation, interruption or reconvening of the First Session of the Conference of the States Parties (as provided for in Article VIII, paragraph 11, in fine), in light of the complexities of the different matters related to the effective launching of the OPCW and the work of the subsidiary organs of the Conference (General Committee, Committee of the Whole, Credentials Committee, etc.).

2.4 The Paris Resolution, in Annex 3, paragraph 7, clearly stipulates that, "[w]hen needed, a conference room for approximately 170 delegations will be made available, free of charge, during the maximum eight year period of the Netherlands bid at the nearby Peace Palace or Netherlands Congress Centre." Delegations may wish to note that this commitment applies to the entire eight-year period, regardless of whether it is the full implementation phase of the Preparatory Commission or the OPCW. On the other hand, that provision does not necessarily imply that the facilities should be supplied in the Netherlands Congress Centre.

3. Logistical arrangements (assumption - 3-4 weeks' duration)

3.1 The calculations are based upon an assumption that a maximum of 150/170 delegations would attend the First Session of the Conference of the States Parties. The 150/170 figure anticipates that a number of other international organisations might be represented. The minimum attendance would, of course, be the delegations of sixty-five States - the number of deposits of instruments of ratification required for the Convention to enter into force. It is also assumed that many foreign ministers and other high-ranking dignitaries would attend the First Session, and that each would deliver an address. In short, one main conference room would be used for addresses and other formal activities, whereas a second one would be used for organisational and procedural deliberations.

3.2 The following facilities will need to be provided:

3.2.1 one main conference room for general debates with the capacity to accommodate 150/170 delegations (1 seat at the desk for the Head of the delegation and 4 seats for advisors); interpretation facilities (7 interpreters' booths and one booth for technicians); and space for representatives of NGOs, media and public;

3.2.2 one main conference room with the capacity to accommodate 150/170 delegations (2/3 persons per delegation) for the Committee of the Whole; and interpretation facilities (6 interpreters' booths and one booth for technicians). It is assumed that the meetings of the Committee will be private -- no representatives of NGOs, media or public;

3.2.3 five conference rooms for regional group meetings (2 rooms - 100/150 persons each, 1 room - 100 persons, 2 rooms - 70/100 persons each); one room with limited interpretation facilities;

3.2.4 two conference rooms for possible subsidiary organs of the CSP (150/200 persons) with interpretation facilities;

3.2.5 one delegates' lounge, with appropriate furnishings, coffee bars;

3.2.6 one office for the Chairman of the CSP, including a meeting room (15/20 persons);

3.2.7 office suites, including a meeting room (15/20 persons), for the Secretary-General of the United Nations and other visiting dignitaries;

3.2.8 offices for the Director-General and Executive Secretary, including a meeting room (10/15 persons);

3.2.9 one conference room for the Executive Council to accommodate 41 Representatives, each accompanied by 3/4 advisors (total capacity to accommodate 300/350 persons). The Carel Willink Zaal (NCC) might be considered as the Council's Chamber. Interpretation facilities are required. The Carel Willink Zaal is not suitable to accommodate representatives of NGOs, the media and the public;

3.2.10 one office for the Chairman of the Executive Council with a meeting room adjacent (15/20 persons);

3.2.11 appropriate offices for the Secretariat staff, e.g. substantive officers, protocol section, documentation/distribution area, reproduction area, storage area, forward echelons (editor, translators), typing pool;

3.2.12 appropriate space within the building for security and police personnel;

3.2.13 appropriate space for one or more briefing rooms and rooms for media staff and their equipment;

3.2.14 appropriate space for NGOs, etc.;

3.2.15 facilities for meals;

3.2.16 facilities for telephones/fax; postal service; and travel service;

3.2.17 provision for transportation of delegates, staff, etc., including space for drivers;

3.2.18 adequate space for parking vehicles.

3.3 It is assumed that the Host Nation will be responsible for both internal and external security; otherwise the Commission/OPCW will have to take into account the financial implications of providing for security.

3.4 The attached letter from the OPCW Foundation, dated 4 May 1994, contains some observations on the requirements for the First Session of the CSP.

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O P C W F O U N D A T I O N

KETTINGSTRAAT 2

2511 AN THE HAGUE

TEL. (070) - 346.77.50

FAX. (070) - 356.26.70

To:

Mr I.R. Kenyon

Executive Secretary

PTS/OPCW

Laan van Meerdervoort 51

2517 AE The Haque

Date Ref.

4 May 1994 154/94

Subject

First Conference of the States Parties

Dear Ian,

With interest I studied the background paper on facilities required for the Conference of the States Parties. The part on logistical arrangements gives rise to some observations, which I would like to share with you.

In order to make the necessary reservations for conference rooms, offices etc some notification time is needed; the length of which is determined by the size of the conference and the number of rooms needed. The requirements for the first CSP, as mentioned in paragraph 7 of the paper, are quite extensive. In fact they imply that the OPCW would need the entire Netherlands Congress Centre - excluding the Statenhal for three weeks. The consequence of such an extensive list of requirements would be a notification time of years instead of months. But even if the list of requirements would be adjusted, organising the conference 6 to 7 months after the deposit of the 65th instrument of ratification will require reservations well in advance. For example the only room in the Netherlands Congress Centre which meets the requirements of a main conference room for general debates, as presently laid down in your paper, is the PWA- hall. This hall has already been reserved for all of 1995, except for two weeks in July, for which period I have taken an option.

Allow me to emphasize that the Netherlands will do everything possible to make the first CSP a success. A prerequisite for success however is that the PTS offers the opportunity to make the necessary logistic arrangements in time. Therefore I urge you to inform me soonest about the expected date for the first CSP. Furthermore it would be appreciated if you could scrutinize for reasons of efficiency the list of required facilities and the total duration of the conference.

Yours sincerely,

[original signed]

G.K. Hamming