The Hague, 12 September 2001

Following the horrific terrorist highjackings which led to such an appalling loss of life in New York City and Washington DC, and in the vicinity of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), represented by Ambassador José M. Bustani, and the staff of the OPCW Secretariat, have extended their most sincere condolences to the Secretaries of State and Defense of the United States of America, and through them to the President, the Government, and the people of the United States.

In a simple and moving ceremony attended by the staff of the Secretariat, the many victims of this barbaric act were commemorated. Ambassador Bustani expressed his profound shock, sadness and regret at the senseless and devastating loss of life. He extended his sincere condolences to the loved ones of all those who have been killed, and his sympathies to the many who have been injured. In this regard he expressed his special sympathy to the staff of the Department of Defense in Washington DC, with which the OPCW Secretariat interacts on a daily basis.

"To the many colleagues and loved ones who are now, in the aftermath of the attack, confronted with the incomprehensible brutality of this act", Ambassador Bustani continued, "we also wish to extend our most heart-felt condolences".

"The prospects for enduring peace and security in the twenty-first century will be immeasurably enhanced", Ambassador Bustani observed, "only when the international community intensifies its efforts to pool its resources of information and analysis about international terrorism. Only if there is a truly global sharing of strengths and capabilities will it prove possible to effectively counteract international terrorism on this scale."