The Hague, 21 November 1997

Seventh Session of the Executive Council of the OPCW concludes in The Hague

• The Council submits Draft OPCW Budget for 1998
• One Request to Use a Converted CWPF is Approved
• No Consensus Reached Yet on Relationship Between U.N. and OPCW
• Two Facility Agreements Approved by the Council

As agreed at its Sixth Session, the Executive Council of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) met for a specially scheduled Seventh Session at the Netherlands Congress Centre in The Hague, from 18-20 November, to address some issues which remained to be finalised prior to the Second Session of the OPCW's Conference of the States Parties. The most immediate of these was the need for the Council to reach agreement on a Draft Programme of Work and Budget for 1998, so that it could be referred to the Conference of the States Parties for consideration and approval at its Second Session in December, and receive final approval in time for the start of the 1998 financial year. The Council succeeded in reaching agreement on a draft Budget, which totals approximately NLG122 million. While this figure includes agreed personnel resources, the Council recognised that the issue of such resources may require further consideration at the forthcoming Session of the Conference of the States Parties. The question of liability for costs of verification under Articles IV and V of the Convention was also intensively debated and while a complete solution was not reached, the Council agreed that the criteria used in 1997 should also apply to inspection activities in 1998 on the understanding that negotiations should continue throughout 1998 and the criteria should be finally elaborated in time for application in the 1999 OPCW Budget.

In other work, the Council approved the two agreements relating to facilities which produce small quantities of highly toxic chemicals for protective, medical, pharmaceutical or other peaceful purposes ("Schedule 1 Facilities") which had been submitted to it at its previous Session. The Council recommended to the Conference of the States Parties that it consider and approve one request for permission to use a converted chemical weapons production facility for purposes not prohibited under the Convention. Another similar request before the Council will be further considered at its next scheduled Session. The Council postponed consideration of a decision on an agreement relating to a facility declared under Part IV(B) of the Convention's Verification Annex (Old and Abandoned Chemical Weapons). The Council was unable to finalise the draft agreement concerning the relationship between the United Nations and the OPCW. The Council discussed the manner in which the Convention's requirements should be implemented as regards the provision of end-user certificates by States not Party to the Convention prior to the receipt of transferred Schedule 2 or 3 chemicals from States Parties. The Council also discussed the issue of transfers of saxitoxin for medical/diagnostic use and considered again the request before it for a delay to start the destruction of a chemical weapons production facility, which had been submitted to it at its previous Session. All of these issues will be taken up again at its next scheduled Session from 27-30 January 1998.