Summary of the Fifty-Third Session of the Executive Council

The Chairperson of the Executive Council, Ambassador Oksana Tomová of Slovakia, opened its Fifty-Third Session on 24 June 2008.

The Council, bearing in mind Rules 50 and 22 of its Rules of Procedure, considered a request from Iraq, a State not Party, and, accordingly, invited it to participate in the Fifty-Third Session of the Council as an observer.

The Vice-Chairpersons and coordinators for clusters of issues reported to the Council on informal consultations held during the intersessional period: Ambassador Werner Burkart of Germany on chemical weapons issues; Ambassador Benchaâ Dani of Algeria on chemical-industry and other Article VI issues; Ambassador Francisco José Aguilar de Beauvilliers Urbina of Costa Rica on administrative and financial issues; Mr Mohsen Naziri Asl on behalf of Ambassador Bozorgmehr Ziaran of the Islamic Republic of Iran on legal, organisational, and other issues; and Ms Annie-Claire Mari of France, the facilitator for the Open-Ended Working Group on Terrorism, on behalf of the Chairperson. The Chairperson also reported on her own activities and those of her predecessor on behalf of the Council during the intersessional period.

Detailed plans for verification of the destruction of chemical weapons

Further to its consideration of this issue at previous sessions, the Council considered and approved amendments to the agreed detailed plan for verification of the destruction of chemical weapons at the Newport Chemical Agent Disposal Facility, Newport, Indiana, the United States of America.

Further to its consideration of this issue at previous sessions, the Council considered and approved the agreed detailed plan for verification of the destruction of the Category 1 chemical weapons at the Maradykovsky chemical weapons destruction facility (CWDF), Kirovskaya oblast, the Russian Federation.

Further to its consideration of this issue at previous sessions, the Council considered and approved amendments to the agreed detailed plan for verification of the destruction of chemical weapons at the Pine Bluff Binary Destruction Facility, located in Pine Bluff Arsenal, Arkansas, the United States of America.

The Council considered and approved the agreed detailed plan for verification of the destruction of the Category 1 chemical weapons at Leonidovka CWDF, Penzenskaya oblast, the Russian Federation.

The Council considered and approved a decision on the amendments to the detailed plan for verification of the destruction of chemical weapons at a CWDF in India, which had been submitted separately to the Council.

Facility agreements

Further to its consideration of this issue at previous sessions, the Council considered and approved the amendments to the facility agreement with the United States of America regarding on-site inspections at the Newport Chemical Agent Disposal Facility, Indiana, the United States of America.

Further to its consideration of this issue at previous sessions, the Council considered and approved the facility agreement with the Russian Federation regarding on-site inspections at the CWDF located in Maradykovsky, Kirovskaya oblast.

Further to its consideration of this issue at its previous session, the Council considered and approved a facility agreement with the Russian Federation regarding on-site inspections at the CWDF located at Leonidovka, Penzenskaya oblast.

The Secretariat has submitted to the Council at its previous session a Note on amendments to the facility arrangement with Canada regarding on-site inspections at a single small-scale facility (SSSF).

The amendments to the facility arrangement with Canada regarding on-site inspections at a SSSF have been submitted separately to the Council, which considered and approved them.

The Secretariat has submitted to the Council at its previous session a Note on amendments to the facility agreement with the Kingdom of Sweden regarding on-site inspections at a Schedule 1 facility.

The amendments to the facility agreement with the Kingdom of Sweden for a Schedule 1 facility have been submitted separately to the Council, which considered and approved them.

The Council considered and approved a decision on the amendments to the facility agreement between the OPCW and the Government of the Republic of India regarding on-site inspections at a CWDF, which had been submitted separately to the Council.

Revisions to the specifications for three items of approved inspection equipment

The Council considered a Note by the Director-General on revisions to the specifications for three items of approved inspection equipment. The Director-General distributed to States Parties for their review the proposed list of revisions to these technical specifications. The Council approved the revisions proposed.

Discrepancies regarding declaration of import and export data for Schedule 2 and 3 chemicals

The Council considered and approved a decision on the guidelines regarding declaration of import and export data for Schedule 2 and 3 chemicals.

The facilitator on this matter, Ms Kiwako Tanaka of Japan, briefed the Council on the consultations held during the intersessional period.

Draft report of the OPCW for 2007

The Council considered the Draft Report of the OPCW on the Implementation of the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on Their Destruction in 2007, and forwarded it to the Conference for consideration at its Thirteenth Session. The Council requested the Secretariat to post this document on the OPCW website, clearly indicating that it has yet to be considered and approved by the Conference.

OPCW Central Analytical Database

At the last session of the Council, the Director-General submitted a Note containing lists of new validated data for inclusion in the OPCW Central Analytical Database (OCAD). The Council considered further and approved said lists.

The Director-General submitted to this Session of the Council a Note containing lists of new validated data for inclusion in the OCAD. The Council considered and approved said lists.

Administrative and financial matters

The Council received the Draft Programme and Budget for 2009, which the Director General had submitted to it in accordance with Financial Regulation 3.4. The Council agreed that consultations on the draft would continue during the intersessional period with a view to the Council’s considering it further at its next regular session and transmitting it, together with its recommendation and any amendments it deems appropriate, to the Conference at its Thirteenth Session.

The Council also received the Draft Medium-Term Plan for the period from 2009 to 2011.

Agreement on the privileges and immunities of the OPCW

The Council considered and concluded an agreement between the OPCW and the Republic of Ecuador on the privileges and immunities of the OPCW.

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Categories: Assistance and Protection, Disarmament, Executive Council, International Cooperation, National implementation, Non-proliferation of chemical weapons