OPCW Director-General Addresses Chemical Demilitarization Conference in Brussels

On 15 May 2007, the Director-General of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), Ambassador Rogelio Pfirter, addressed the Tenth Chemical Demilitarization Conference (CWD 2007) held in Brussels, Belgium. Since the Chemical Weapons Convention came into force in 1997, the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, an agency of the Ministry of Defence of the United Kingdom, has organized annual chemical weapons demilitarization conferences to bring together experts from all over the world to discuss global issues surrounding the disposal of chemical weapons and to improve international co-operation.

Conference on the occasion of the 10th Anniversary,in association with the Royal Institute of International Relations(IRIR) Conference on the occasion of the 10th Anniversary,in association with the Royal Institute of International Relations(IRIR)

The tenth session, CWD 2007, included keynote addresses from the Armed Forces Minister of the United Kingdom, H.E. Minister Adam Ingram, the Special Assistant, Chemical and Biological Defence and Chemical Demilitarization Programs of the United States Department of Defence, H.E. Mr Jean Reed, and the Ambassador of Canada to the Kingdom of Belgium and to the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, H.E. Ms Laurette A. Gauthier Glasgow, This year’s event attracted over 180 delegates from 15 countries.Stressing in his keynote address to CWD 2007 the importance of the complete and timely destruction of all declared chemical weapons stockpiles, Director-General Pfirter recalled that chemical disarmament is one of the CWC’s fundamental objectives. He expected all possessor States Parties to spare no effort in fulfilling this crucial obligation within the CWC’s stipulated timeframe.

Noting that although the steady progress towards the complete and verifiable elimination of the stockpiles was proceeding at a slower pace than anticipated ten years ago, Director-General Pfirter stated that States Parties had accelerated their destruction campaigns and made significant investments in destruction technology. He underscored that the CWC’s deadlines can only be met if the pace of destruction continues to quicken. Director-General Pfirter drew attention to the sizable proportion of the former chemical weapons production capacity and of the declared stockpiles that had been eliminated under international monitoring, as well as to the global non-proliferation regime that has been made operational by the OPCW. He assessed these accomplishments as a notable contribution in strengthening international security.

Drawing attention to the CWC’s non-proliferation regime, Director-General Pfirter noted that within a decade over 2,900 inspections had been conducted in 79 countries, of which more than 1,150 of these inspections were directed to industrial sites. He stated that OPCW Member States hoped to continue to increase the number of industrial inspections.

Given the concerns regarding the risk of chemical terrorism, Director-General Pfirter also referred to the OPCW Member States’ on-going efforts to meet their obligations to provide assistance and protection to their fellow Member States. Since 1997, over 2,300 first responders and civil-defence experts have received training to strengthen their national protection programmes.

In light of these accomplishments, Director-General Pfirter concluded that within ten years, the OPCW has rightly gained international recognition as a mature organization that serves as an example of effective multilateral cooperation in the area of disarmament and non-proliferation.

PR52 / 2007

Categories: Disarmament, Outreach