OPCW Director General Attends International Symposium on Protection against Chemical Weapons in Sweden

The Director General of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), Mr Rogelio Pfirter, attended the Eighth International Symposium on Protection against Chemical and Biological Weapons held in Gothenburg, Sweden from 2 to 4 June 2004. The Symposium was organised by the Swedish civil protection authority, FOI, and the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

In his address to the Symposium, Mr Pfirter set forth the clear need for international cooperation in preventing the use of weapons of mass destruction, including chemical weapons, by non-State actors. “We live in a world where the threat posed by weapons of mass destruction still looms over us all. The risk that chemical weapons can become an instrument of choice for terrorists is growing as we find daily evidence of this around the world. To minimize the consequences of a chemical weapons attack, as well as to counter the threat of use of chemical weapons and to eliminate the threats posed by their existence, all States party to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) have pledged to act in concert to coordinate the delivery of assistance and protection.”

Under the CWC, all States Parties have the right to request and to receive assistance and protection, if a chemical attack is threatened, or if a State Party should suffer such an attack. The OPCW provides Member States with information on protective measures, expert advice, funding for assistance through the Voluntary Fund, support in developing emergency plans, and stands ready to provide coordinated assistance in an emergency. Director General Pfirter commended the Swedish Government for “its pioneering role in developing protective programmes and for its long-standing commitment to generously share this expertise with all States Parties. “

Director General Pfirter urged all Member States “to strengthen the OPCW’s capacity to provide protection and assistance, an indispensable pillar of our work, and to come forward with more help, to give us the means to deliver the protection that all States Parties have a right to expect and the CWC has stipulated.”

During his stay in Gothenburg, the Director General met His Majesty, King of Sweden Carl XVI Gustaf and HRH The Crown Princess Victoria. In Stockholm, the Director General discussed issues relating to the status of the CWC’s implementation with the Director General of the National Inspectorate for Strategic Products and the Head of the Swedish National Authority, Mr Lars-Hjalmar Wide and his staff. Following these discussions, Mr Pfirter and H.E. Anders Lidén, the Director-General for Political Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, met to discuss the CWC’s role in preventing the spread of weapons of mass destruction to non-State Actors.

In Solna, Director General Pfirter addressed the CWC’s implementation and its current status with senior experts in the Stockholm Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

27/2004

Categories: Assistance and Protection