The Hague, 5 November 1997

Sixth Session of the Executive Council of the OPCW is held in The Hague

The Executive Council of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) held its Sixth Session at the Netherlands Congress Centre in The Hague, from 28-31 October 1997. The Director-General of the OPCW, in his opening statement, presented an overview of the principal activities undertaken by the Technical Secretariat since the Fifth Session of the Council and of the status of implementation of the Convention.

As of 28 October, 86 initial inspections had been conducted on the territory of 20 States Parties including inspections of thirty-four declared chemical weapons production facilities, nineteen declared chemical weapons storage facilities and twenty-three declared Schedule 1 facilities. Continuous monitoring of CW destruction operations was underway at five separate locations. Sixty-eight States Parties had submitted their initial declarations, although some declarations remained incomplete. The Secretariat has also continued to receive other mandatory notifications from States Parties, but the overall response rate in this regard is still low. States Parties were reminded of the requirement to notify the Secretariat of any transfer of a Schedule 1 chemical not less than 30 days before any such transfer.

The Council approved a draft report of the Organisation on the implementation of the Convention covering activities of the OPCW between May and October this year as well as a report of the Executive Council on the performance of its activities, both of which will be transmitted for approval to the Conference of the States Parties at its Second Session in December.

The Council reviewed the status of assessed financial contributions. There has been a marked improvement in the collection of contributions but the Council expressed its concern that while the collection rate for the OPCW budget for 1997 stood at 81%, 47% of States Parties had not made any contributions to the Budget. The Council urged States Parties with assessed contributions still outstanding, to meet their financial obligations forthwith. The Council also strongly urged former defaulting Member States of the Preparatory Commission to meet their payment obligations forthwith. The Council also discussed the draft OPCW Budget for 1998, which will be considered again at a specially scheduled meeting between 18-19 November. The Council received two reports of the External Auditor for the Preparatory Commission on the financial statements and the Provident Fund of the Preparatory Commission which noted that all transactions were in accordance with the Financial Regulations and legislative authority.

Three facility agreements were submitted to the Council for approval. Two of the agreements related to Schedule 1 facilities and one agreement related to a facility for the storage and destruction of old chemical weapons. A request to delay the start of destruction of a chemical weapons production facility, which is currently the subject of criminal proceedings by the State Party in question, was submitted to the Council. The Council also had before it two requests from two States Parties for permission to use former chemical weapons production facilities for purposes not prohibited under the Convention. These requests were discussed by the Council and then deferred to the Council's next session to allow for further consideration in capitals.

The Council received an update on the electronic document management system of the Secretariat and noted the revised security study. The Council considered a simplified draft agreement concerning the relationship between the United Nations and the OPCW and noted the legal opinion of the Legal Adviser on the protection and release of confidential information under the Convention and the draft relationship agreement. The Council agreed that discussions on the issue of transfers of saxitoxin for medical/diagnostic use would continue on an informal basis during the period before its next session. A concern was expressed as to whether the requirement of the Convention for States Parties to request end-user certificates from authorities of recipient States not Party to the Convention was being fully complied with. The Executive Council heard a report on the results of informal consultations on the issue of the Provisional Interim Staff Rules of the OPCW and deferred consideration of the draft OPCW Financial Rules until a future session of the Council. The Council approved the Director-General's report on the credentials of representatives on the Council.

The next session of the Council will be held on 18-19 November and if necessary, 20 November 1997. The Council decided that it would hold six regular sessions in 1998 on the following dates: 27-30 January; 21-24 April; 16-19 June; 1-4 September; 6-9 October and 8-11 December.