At the invitation of the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Security and Defence of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, European Parliament, the Honorable Mr. Karl von Wogau, the Director-General of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), Ambassador Rogelio Pfirter, briefed the Subcommittee on the progress the 182 OPCW Member States had achieved in the global application of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC).
In the area of chemical weapons destruction, as well as national implementation, Director-General Pfirter detailed the status of the destruction and non-proliferation programmes implementation.
Stressing the invaluable support that the European Union has generously provided within the general framework of the European Council’s Strategy against the Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction, Director-General Pfirter expressed on behalf of the OPCW his appreciation for these financial resources that have been used to seek the CWC’s universal adherence. He commended the Member States of the European Union for their exemplary application of the global ban on chemical weapons, which enjoys universality within the European Union.
Underscoring the vial importance of this cooperation with the European Union, Director-General Pfirter stated that international cooperation to support the establishment and effective operation of national non-proliferation and deterrence systems on the territory of every Member State is crucial to the ultimate success of the chemical weapons ban.
While noting that the OPCW is not an anti-terrorist agency, Director-General Pfirter set forth for the Subcommittee members the Organisation’s role in effectively advancing the international community’s struggle against terrorism. Noting that the OPCW Member States’ diligent national enforcement of the Convention makes a significant contribution towards the prevention of chemical terrorism, he offered an overview of the cooperation between the United Nations and the OPCW in support of the United Nations Global Strategy for Counter-Terrorism, as well as in the implementation of Security Council resolution 1540.
PR17 / 2007