Toxic Chemicals Training Course Held in the Republic of Serbia

6 March 2008

The Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Serbia, in cooperation with the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), conducted a training course on how to conduct toxic entries from 3 to 23 February 2008 at the Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Defence Training Centre (NBCD TC) in Kruševac. The training course, which constitutes an important part of the training program for new inspectors, was attended by 28 newly recruited OPCW inspectors.

This course is part of the offer made by Government of the Republic of Serbia in support of the mandatory training that OPCW inspectors receive in detection, in decontamination procedures, and in the use of protective equipment, all of which are essential when dealing with toxic chemical agents. The training was jointly conducted by experienced officials of the NBCD centre and staff members of the OPCW Inspectorate.

In July and December 2007, the Republic of Serbia had held similar courses to provide tangible support to the OPCW Inspectorate in the training of OPCW inspectors.

By hosting these training courses, the Republic of Serbia has demonstrated its strong commitment to implementing the Chemical Weapons Convention and assisting OPCW inspectors to acquire the skills they need to fulfill their tasks under the stringent verification regime of the Convention.