At the initiative of the Argentine Government, a high level meeting of the Vice Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Mercado Común del Sur (Mercosur) and Associate States* was held on 4 April 2007 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
In attendance were Vice Ministers and high level officials from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay and Venezuela.
In his opening address the Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Argentine Republic, H.E. Ambassador Roberto Garcia Moritan, highlighted the relevance of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) as an instrument that provides for adaptable and efficient disarmament and non-proliferation measures. He recalled the region’s contributions and achievements in these fields and called on the Mercosur and Associated States to pursue a more integrated approach to topical matters relating to the international security agenda.
The Director-General of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), Ambassador Rogelio Pfirter, offered the participants an overview of the CWC’s present status of implementation. He praised Mercosur and the Associate States for their active engagement in the global efforts towards the elimination and non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. More specifically, Ambassador Pfirter reviewed the many international cooperation activities currently carried out by the OPCW Technical Secretariat with several countries of the region. He encouraged these countries to continue to benefit from an increased interaction with the OPCW.
The Argentine Vice Minister Ambassador Garcia Moritan and OPCW Director-General Ambassador Pfirter agreed that the CWC’s tenth anniversary in this year marks a significant milestone and they pledged to continue their joint effort to achieve the CWC’s noble aims.
* The Mercado Común del Sur, or Mercosur, members include Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay. The Associate States are Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela.
PR25 / 2007