On 14 February 2007, the Director-General of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), Ambassador Rogelio Pfirter, attended the commemorative event hosted by the Government of the United Mexican States on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the Tlatelolco Treaty, held in Mexico City, Mexico.
The Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean, also known as the Treaty of Tlatelolco, establishes a nuclear weapons-free zone across Latin America and the Caribbean region. All Latin American and the Caribbean nations adhere to this treaty, in support of their common goal of complete nuclear disarmament.
In his keynote address, OPCW Director-General Pfirter emphasized that the fortieth anniversary of the Treaty of Tlatelolco is an excellent opportunity to remember the leadership role undertaken by Mexico and the message underscored by the Treaty to the Nuclear Powers of their responsibility to respect the Nuclear Free Zone status in the region. He noted that the Treaty of Tlatelolco is a pioneering international agreement that shares with the Chemical Weapons Convention the vision of a world free of weapons of mass destruction and terror. He concluded by stating that these international instruments remain valid, vital and indispensable tools in ensuring internati0onal peace and security.
During his official visit, OPCW Director-General Pfirter met the Secretary General of the Agency for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean (OPANAL), H.E. Ambassador Edmundo Vargas Carreño.
In their discussion, Director-General Pfirter and Secretary General Vargas Carreño reviewed the current status of the global efforts to eliminate chemical weapons, as well as the on-going work by the international community to prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and to seek their eradication.
Director-General Pfirter expressed on behalf of the OPCW, his congratulations to Secretary General Vargas Carreño upon the fortieth anniversary of the entry into force of the Treaty of Tlatelolco—the world’s first treaty to create a zone free of nuclear weapons. He also drew attention to the approaching 10th anniversary of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) on 29 April 2007. Director-General Pfirter underscored the strong commitment of the 181 CWC States Parties to ensure total and verifiable elimination of an entire category of weapons of mass destruction.
PR6 / 2007