OPCW Director-General Visits Switzerland and Addresses the 6th Chemical and Biological Medical Treatment Symposium

On 1 May 2006, the Director-General of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), Ambassador Rogelio Pfirter, paid an official visit to Switzerland. During his visit, he opened and attended the Sixth Chemical and Biological Medical Treatment Symposium, held in Spiez, Switzerland. Director-General Pfirter had the opportunity to hold meetings with Federal Councillor H.E. Mr Samuel Schmid, Head of the Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sports; and Dr Marc Cadisch, Director, Spiez Laboratory.

In his meeting with the Director-General, Federal Councillor Schmid expressed on behalf of his Government, Switzerland’s firm resolve to uphold the Chemical Weapons Convention and its abiding intention to maintain its close cooperation with the OPCW to support the implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) and to help Member States in their effort to establish civil protection programs against chemical weapons.

Director-General Pfirter expressed his gratitude to Federal Councillor Schmid for Switzerland’s strong commitment to the Convention and its active and effective implementation of the Convention’s provisions that guarantee assistance and protection against chemical weapons for all 178 OPCW Member States. He noted that Switzerland was one of the first countries to offer the OPCW assistance, such as its provision of protective clothing, decontamination, detection and medical equipment, manuals and training courses on chemical weapons protection and decontamination. Director-General Pfirter also commended Switzerland for its exemplary cooperation with the OPCW and Norwegian Government in the implementation of the three-year development program for the Central Asian Member States —Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan— which Switzerland supported by providing practical training for first responders from those countries.

Director-General Pfirter also highlighted the vital importance of the training Switzerland provides to support development of adequate national civil defence response mechanisms by many Member States.

During the course of his visit, Director-General Pfirter also met the Secretary of State for Economic Affairs, H.E. Mr Jean-Daniel Gerber, as well as the Secretary of State at the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, H.E. Mr Michael Ambühl. In their meetings, the Swiss government officials and the Director-General discussed the continuing cooperation between the Swiss Government and the OPCW, focussing on the Organisation’s efforts to ensure the universal and effective application of the global chemical weapons ban.

In his opening address, Director-General Pfirter lauded the continuing success of the Chemical and Biological Medical Treatment Symposium that has held six internationally recognised, large-scale scientific meetings over a period of twelve years. He underscored the meetings’ importance in improving the understanding and effectiveness of medical countermeasures required for defence against chemical and biological weapons, as well as expanding the meetings’ scope to add topics such as international terrorism and the response to mass casualty events. Director-General Pfirter commended the Symposium for its role in bringing together scientists and civil protection professionals from around the world, and in particular for the Symposium’s efforts to support the attendance of scientists from the developing world. Director-General Pfirter noted and acknowledged the vital contribution by the Spiez Laboratory, which organises the Chemical and Biological Medical Treatment Symposium that is held every two years and thanked both the Director of the Spiez Laboratory, Dr Marc Cadisch, and the Director of the CBMT Symposium, Col. Richard Price, for their unflagging dedication to the enhancement of civil protection programs around the world.

PR29 / 2006

Categories: Assistance and Protection, Western Europe and Other States