OPCW Director-General Visits Italy

On 25 and 26 October 2006, the Director-General of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), Ambassador Rogelio Pfirter, paid a working visit to the Italian Republic.

During his visit, Director-General Pfirter met Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Ugo Intini, with whom he co-opened the Third Workshop to promote the universal implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention among States in the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East, and neighbouring regions.

Minister Intini reaffirmed Italy’s continuing, active engagement in the pursuit of the Chemical Weapons Convention’s universality and its effective implementation. He noted that this long-standing support for the mission of the OPCW arises from the conviction that the Convention contributes to international peace and stability, as well as to the international effort to prevent chemical terrorism.

In their meeting, the Deputy Minister and the Director-General concurred that these goals can only be fully achieved when every nation joins the chemical weapons ban.

On behalf of the OPCW, Ambassador Rogelio Pfirter thanked Minister Intini for his Government’s generous support for the Workshop to promote universality, particularly in the Middle East. He gratefully acknowledged Italy’s active role in bringing these nations into the OPCW, further confirming Italy’s long-standing and tangible commitment to the global ban on chemical weapons.

In subsequent meetings, the Vice Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Italian Senate, Mr Alfredo Mantica, the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Chamber of Deputies, Mr Umberto Ranieri and Director-General Pfirter discussed the crucial responsibility of parliaments around the world to enact the legislation and administrative measures to enable the Convention’s full and effective implementation. In conjunction with universal membership, effective implementation of the global chemical weapon ban is a significant component within the global counter-terrorism strategy adopted by the United Nations, preventing terrorist access to these dangerous materials.

In the course of his visit, Director-General Pfirter also had the opportunity to meet the Under-secretary of Defence, Mr. Lorenzo Forcieri, and to acknowledge Italy’s substantial offer of assistance should any OPCW Member State be stricken or threatened by chemical weapons attack. Director-General Pfirter also commended Italy for its support of both the OPCW’s verification activities and its international cooperation programmes through its training for inspectors and in industrial best practice.

PR73 / 2006

Categories: Outreach, Western Europe and Other States