The Hague, 26 March 2004

OPCW 36th Executive Council Convenes, Libya Attends

During the 36th Session of the Executive Council of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), held in The Hague from 23 to 26 March, 2004, the 41-member Executive Council, representing the entire OPCW membership of 161 Member States, convened to consider a number of issues, including: the destruction of chemical weapons, the destruction or conversion of chemical weapons production facilities, as well as progress reports on the implementation of the action plans on national implementation measures and the universality of the Convention.

For the first time, a Libyan delegation attended the Executive Council. The Chemical Weapons Convention entered into force for Libya on 5 February 2004.

The Council received a report from the Technical Secretariat of the initial inspection in Libya, undertaken to verify the accuracy of the initial declaration submitted by the Libyan Government on 5 March 2004. The initial inspection was completed on 19 March 2004. Member States expressed their appreciation for Libya’s contribution to the OPCW’s common goal of the complete elimination of chemical weapons.

In its 36th Session, the Executive Council also elected a new Executive Council Chairman, H.E. Mr José Antonio Arróspide Del Busto, Permanent Representative of Peru to the OPCW, whose one-year term of office will commence on 12 May 2004.