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Statement by His Excellency, Olusegun Obasanjo, President, Federal Republic of Nigeria, During His Official Visit to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons Headquarters at The Hague, the Netherlands, on 28 June 2005

I am pleased to be here with you today and feel particularly honoured to visit the headquarters of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). Please accept on behalf of me, my entourage and indeed all Nigerians, our most sincere greetings.

The decision to visit the Headquarters of the OPCW is essentially designed to show support and solidarity for, and full identification with, the noble objective of maintaining and assuring global peace for all. The visit is also an acknowledgement that this is an era of increasing global concerns about human security and one in which there is collective commitment among peoples and nations on the need to contain threats posed to the world by weapons of mass destruction (WMD). This is a time when nations cannot afford to take chances, act in isolation from one another, and make exemptions that do not reflect the collective will of humanity.

In another respect, my visit demonstrates the level to which we must acknowledge and mutually appreciate each other’s roles in peace building and the challenge of making the world a better place to live in. Being the first Chairman of the African Union to visit your Headquarters, I want to underscore the great value that the AU attaches to issues of global security. With the reforms going on in Africa that are designed to restructure and reposition the continent for peace, stability, development, and democracy, we attach the utmost importance to continental and global peace and security.

The wisdom of establishing the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons in 1997 by the United Nations is a demonstration of sincerity of purpose by the world body and all stakeholders to eliminate and prevent this category of WMD. All efforts aimed at containing the challenges to global peace, security and development, stand jeopardized if the production of WMD is not controlled and contained. The world can do without those dangerous weapons. The fear that they might get into the wrong hands is now being borne out with current developments in the global system.

This fear has further been heightened by the current situation whereby chemical weapons States are not just reluctant but also lagging behind in the destruction of those weapons scheduled by the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC). For instance, it is frightening to note that of the 70,000 metric tonnes of declared weapons agents, the OPCW is said to have verified the destruction of only 9,600 tonnes. This is a matter of grave concern because if this persists, the Convention’s goal of complete destruction of chemical weapons agents will not be met even by the agreed extended deadline of 2012.

African States have always supported measures needed to avoid or eliminate the proliferation or use of these WMD. This explains the decision to seek and conclude an African Nuclear Weapon Free Zone Treaty (Treaty of Pelindaba) which was signed in Cairo on 11 April 1996. The Treaty seeks to prohibit the research, development, manufacture, and acquisition of nuclear explosive devices and the testing of or stationing of any nuclear explosive device in Africa. With this inspiration, the African Union at the Khartoum (Sudan) Summit of March 2002 declared Africa as a Chemical Weapons –Free Zone. Many African countries have continued to show interest in membership. Out of 169 Member States of the OPCW, 41 are African. This is very encouraging. It is hoped that further cooperation agreements will be reached between the AU and the OPCW in our collective endeavour to make the world a safer place for mankind.

There is no doubt that concern and fears about the acquisition of chemical weapons by non-state actors have become a major motivation for increasing both the total membership of the CWC and the implementation of the obligations under the Convention. I am aware that there are several challenges confronting the OPCW that call for collective responses in order to strengthen the organisation and make it even more effective. The challenges include:

  1. Strengthening the verification mechanism, as well as reinforcing international legal provisions against the illicit trafficking of nuclear, biological and chemical weapons.
  2. The need for proper and regular information, networking, and coordination to make members, especially African countries that do not have the resources or capability, follow international developments on chemical substances. In this regard the OPCW should strongly consider the proposal to set up a Regional Office in Africa.
  3. There is a need to intensify efforts in the areas of capacity building, protection, and promotion of the practice and standard desired for chemical manufacturing for purely industrial purposes. More representation of Africans in the structures of the OPCW should be helpful to build the continent’s capacity in this area.
  4. Public education and campaigns against WMD and intensified work on these issues with educational institutions and Non-Governmental Organisations in Africa will go a long way to propagate the image and message of the OPCW across the continent.

Finally, I want to assure you that in the new Africa that we are building, our commitment to peace and to the goals of the OPCW is strong and deep. You can count on our understanding and support at all times. However, we want to trust and rely on you to allay our fears in relation to building and sustaining a nuclear- and chemical-weapons-free world.

It is hoped that new cooperation between Africa, through the AU, and the OPCW will continue in the mutual interest of global peace, in particular, peace in Africa.

I wish you all God’s guidance, direction, and protection in all your endeavours in the service of humanity.

Thanks for your attention.