OPCW Director-General Says Middle East Is Next Focus Of Chemical Disarmament: Says Joining OPCW Will Help Region "Break The Political Impasse"

The Director-General of the OPCW, Mr. José Bustani, has called on those Arab states still to join the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) to do so and for Israel to ratify the Convention.

Speaking to over 500 delegates from more than 110 countries at the opening of the Fifth Session of the Conference of the States Parties to the OPCW in the Hague, Mr. Bustani said he hoped the leaders of Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Syria, Yemen and the UAE would join the CWC as a significant step towards a comprehensive regional peace.

Mr. Bustani also said that Israel (which signed the Convention in 1997 but which has never ratified it) should take "the next logical step" and ratify the CWC.

The Director-General welcomed the forthcoming dialogue between the two Koreas and said he hoped the Democratic People's Republic of Korea would follow the example of the Republic of Korea and join the CWC.

The OPCW now has 133 members states and two more, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and Malaysia, will join on Saturday 20 May 2000.

In his speech Mr. Bustani also welcomed the successful start of inspections by the OPCW of chemical industry plants in the United States, a development he described as "of critical importance".

Turning to the delay in destroying chemical weapons in the Russian Federation, the Director-General told the Conference that Russia remained committed to the CWC and its recent actions had demonstrated that commitment.

He said the Russian Federation would need substantial international aid to destroy its chemical weapons and he supported a draft decision on international assistance to Russia, which will be considered by the Conference later this week. However Mr. Bustani said the Russian authorities should submit a realistic programme and timetable for the destruction of its chemical stockpile without further delay.

18/2000