The Hague, 11 March 2002

A regional workshop for African countries on the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), jointly organised by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and the Government of the Sudan, concluded today in Khartoum, the Sudan.

The workshop, one of the biggest ever organised in Africa by the OPCW, was attended by more than sixty participants from 29 countries, including seven States not Party to the CWC, namely Angola, the Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Libya, Rwanda and Sierra Leone. The workshop’s twin aims were to build capacity among African Member States for the effective implementation of the CWC and to obtain adherence to it by all states in Africa.

In his opening statement, OPCW Deputy Director-General, Dr John Gee, elaborated on the economic and political benefits of adherence to the CWC and on how African membership in the OPCW would advance African interests. He urged all African states not yet party to the CWC to accede to or ratify it at the earliest possible opportunity. The Sudanese Minister of Justice, H.E. Mr Ali Mohamed Osman Yasin, echoed these sentiments in his opening address when he called for the establishment of a chemical weapons free zone in Africa. The Minister also proposed the establishment of a regional network of National Authorities in Africa.

The Deputy Director-General also held bilateral meetings with the Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs, H.E. Dr Eltigani Salih Fidail, the Minister of Justice, H.E. Mr Ali Mohamed Osman Yasin and the Minister for Science and Technology, H.E. Dr Elzubeir Beshir Taha. The Deputy Director-General expressed appreciation for Sudan's strong support for the OPCW, including hosting this workshop and the Sudan’s Chairmanship of the OPCW's Executive Council.

With the Minister for Science and Technology, H.E. Dr Elzubeir Beshir Taha, the Deputy Director-General outlined the international cooperation and assistance programmes offered by the OPCW, including the Associate Programme and the programme of support for laboratories in the developing world.

Prior to the commencement of the workshop, the OPCW provided the National Authority of Sudan with support in drafting its implementing legislation. The Sudanese implementing legislation could serve as a model for other African Member States that have not yet enacted legislation to implement the Convention at the national level. To support the struggle against terrorism, only a network of legislation prohibiting the use of chemical weapons can serve to eliminate any safe haven for terrorists.

The workshop would not have taken place without the generous financial contributions from Norway, Sweden, United Kingdom and Oman.