OPCW Director-General Visits Croatia and Meets with Vice Prime Minister

The OPCW Director-General, Ambassador Rogelio Pfirter, visited Cavtat, Croatia on 5 and 6 April 2009 where he delivered the opening address to the 5th World Congress on Chemical, Biological and Radiological (CBR) Terrorism and met with the Vice Prime Minister of Croatia, Ms Đurđa Adlešić

The 5th World Congress, organised under the sponsorship of the Government of Croatia, explored the scientific, medical and policy aspects of CBR terrorism. Participants included industry representatives, government officials, academics, medical and public health professionals, first responders and hazardous materials (HAZMAT) specialists, among others.

The Congress was preceded by an “International Industry and Academic Workshop on the CWC/BTWC/UNSC Resolution 1540”, co-sponsored by the OPCW, which examined the symbiotic relationship between the international treaties on chemical and biological weapons and their relevance to  resolution 1540.

In his opening remarks to the Congress, Director-General Pfirter noted that full and effective implementation of all the provisions of the Chemical Weapons Convention contributes to achieving the goals of resolution 1540 and of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy.

In his meeting with the Vice Prime Minister, the Director-General provided an update on the implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention and underlined the importance of universal adherence to the Convention, as well as its effective national implementation. In this regard he commended the government of Croatia for its close cooperation with the OPCW and implementation of the Convention.

For her part, Vice Prime Minister Adlešić expressed Croatia’s firm commitment to the goals of the Convention and assured the Director-General of its continuing support for the work of the OPCW.

Categories: Non-proliferation of chemical weapons, Terrorism