PR36: The Conference of the States Parties Closes its Second Session by Approving its 1998 Budget

The Hague, 8 December 1997			Number 36

Press Release

The Conference of the States Parties Closes its Second Session by Approving its 1998 Budget

Decisions on the OPCW 1998 budget and other important matters were adopted at the conclusion of the Second Session of the Conference of the States Parties of the OPCW held last week at the Netherlands Congress Centre, in The Hague.

The session closed after agreement had been reached on the majority of the outstanding issues. This approval presupposed careful consideration and consensus-based decision-making by delegations representing all 81 States Parties present at the session.

Intense negotiations were at the basis of the decision adopting the overall OPCW programme of work and budget for 1998 which amounts to NLG 140,797 million.

The Conference appealed to those states which have neither ratified nor acceded the Convention, to do so as soon as possible and recommended States parties and the Director-General of OPCW to continue to make every effort and encourage those states to join the Organisation.

During the session other decisions affecting the future activities of the six-month old Organisation were taken by consensus. Amongst other things, the Conference :

approved the use of two converted chemical weapons production facilities for purposes not prohibited under the Convention;

adopted procedures for addressing unresolved issues;
decided on the Terms of Reference of the Scientific Advisory Board, which will be appointed by the Director-General in the near future;
approved the recommendation related to the functioning of a Confidentiality Commission mandated by the Convention. If no objection is received before 15 January 1998, its recommended operating procedures will become functional.

A number of important decisions related to the implementation of the Convention by the chemical industry were also finalised. Specifically, these were as follows :

States parties are to clearly indicate the concentration limits approved for their 1998 and subsequent annual declarations in relation to industrial plant sites. States parties will also indicate the concentration levels applied to their 1997 declarations;
The term "production" used in the Convention will be understood to include a scheduled chemical listed in the Convention, produced by a biochemical or biologically-mediated reaction.

The Third Session of the conference of the States parties will be convened in November 1998.

The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) came into existence on 29 April 1997. Its deed of foundation—the Chemical Weapons Convention—aims to achieve four principal objectives: the elimination of chemical weapons and of the capacity to develop them, the verification of non-proliferation, international assistance and protection in the event of the use or threat of use of chemical weapons, and international cooperation and assistance in the peaceful use of chemistry.

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