Director-General of OPCW meets with Deputy Prime Minister and Addresses North Atlantic Assembly Committees in Romania

The Director-General of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, Mr José M. Bustani, visited Romania from 8-11 October to hold discussions with high-level governmental officials as well as to address the Scientific and Technology Committee and the Defence and Security Committee of the North Atlantic Assembly.

On 9 October, Mr Bustani met with the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Romania, H.E. Mr Adrian Severin, to discuss issues related to the national implementation of the Convention. Mr Bustani expressed his appreciation for the active participation of Romania in the work of the Preparatory Commission and the OPCW, and its support in the training of inspectors.

Mr Bustani also met with the Secretary of State and Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, Division General Dr Constantin Degaratu. A working luncheon was hosted by the Secretary of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr Lazar Comanescu. A visit was also made to the Romanian Academy of Sciences, where discussions were held with members of the Academy led by its Vice-President, Prof Alexandru Balaban. In addition, discussions were held with the Acting Head of the National Agency for Control of Strategic Exports and Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (ANCESIAC) and with members of the Romanian National Authority. Mr Bustani complimented the Romanian government on the timely and efficient manner in which it had implemented the requirements of the Convention. Its performance would serve as a model for other Member States. A visit was made to a large petro-chemical facility which, amongst other things, produces the Schedule 3 chemical triethanolamine.

In his address to the Scientific and Technology Committee of the North Atlantic Assembly, on 10 October, Mr Bustani stressed that the entry into force of the Chemical Weapons Convention on 29 April of this year had been one of the most significant developments in the area of arms control and disarmament in recent years. He stated that the Convention, the first internationally verifiable Convention aimed at eliminating an entire category of weapons of mass destruction, is rightly hailed as a landmark in the field of disarmament. The Director-General's statement to the Defence and Security Committee emphasised the importance of achieving universality of membership of the Convention, and in particular of ratification by the Russian Federation. The hope was expressed that those 67 countries which have already signed the Convention would proceed to ratify the Convention in the near future.

PR20/1997

Categories: Eastern Europe, Outreach