OPCW Director-General Visits Germany; Meets German Foreign Minister

From 23 to 26 April, 2007, the Director-General of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), Ambassador Rogelio Pfirter, paid an official visit to the Federal Republic of Germany and met the German Foreign Minister, H.E. Dr. Frank-Walter Steinmeier, as well as officials from the German Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of Economics and Technology, and the Parliament . During the visit, Director-General Pfirter had the opportunity to tour the destruction facility for old chemical weapons located at Munster, Germany. He witnessed the destruction of the last two old chemical weapons from World War II.

In their meeting, Foreign Minister Steinmeier reaffirmed Germany’s staunch and continuing support for the OPCW in its mission to achieve the complete elimination of chemical weapons. He also reiterated his Government’s firm commitment to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), a non-discriminatory multilateral disarmament and non-proliferation treaty that enhances global peace and security.

Foreign Minister Steinmeier said: “The world urgently needs new impetus in the area of disarmament and non-proliferation. The Chemical Weapons Convention, unique in its field so far, shows what can be achieved through a consistent disarmament policy. The Convention demands the complete destruction of all chemical weapons without exception by a fixed deadline, namely in year 2012. It thus represents an important pillar of disarmament and non-proliferation policy, and strengthens the Federal Government in its consistent and on-going efforts to promote disarmament and non-proliferation in international fora.”

On behalf of the OPCW, Director-General Pfirter thanked Foreign Minister Steinmeier for his Government’s strong support for the OPCW and acknowledged the invaluable contribution made by the German Government in support of the CWC’s objectives.

During his official visit, Director-General Pfirter also met with the Chairwoman of the Parliamentary Subcommittee on Disarmament of the German Bundestag, the Honourable Uta Zapf, MP, underscored National Authorities’ and parliamentarians’ essential role in establishing the legal and administrative means to enforce the CWC at the national level.

In expressing his gratitude to the German Government for its unwavering support for the Russian Federation’s chemical demilitarisation program, Director-General Pfirter discussed with the Federal Commissioner for Arms Control and Disarmament of the German Federal Government, H.E. Ambassador Friedrich Gröning, Germany’s contribution to the OPCW’s global efforts towards chemical demilitarisation and non-proliferation.

On the evening of 25 April 2007, Foreign Minister Steinmeier opened the international symposium “Freeing the World of Chemical Weapons – The Chemical Weapons Convention ten Years after its Entry Into Force“, at which Director-General Pfirter delivered a keynote address. The symposium is jointly hosted by the German Foreign Office and the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP).

The Director-General’s official visit also included a tour of Bayer AG’s chemical production facility in Bitterfeld.

PR34 / 2007

Categories: Outreach, Western Europe and Other States