The Technical Secretariat of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) has initiated a project on regional chemical weapons response capacity-building for States Parties in the North African region. The States Parties that will benefit from this project are Algeria, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia. The project will be supported by the EU, through its third Joint Action in support of OPCW activities.
From 11 to 15 June 2007, a basic practical training course was conducted at the Nuclear, Biological, Chemical Defence, (NBCD) Personnel Advancement Center, Kruševac for representatives of States Parties from the North African region. This was followed by an advanced course held from 18 to 22 June 2007. The two courses provide in-depth information on a range of assistance and protection-related topics, such as types of chemical warfare agents, individual protection equipment, as well as decontamination and medical protective measures.
The practical training delivered at the NBCD Personnel Advancement Center, Kruševac was jointly organised with the Government of Serbia.
The project offers expert advice to States Parties in the North African region in the field of assistance and protection against chemical weapons under the CWC. The OPCW’s assistance supports the creation of a regional network that responds in the event of a request for assistance, in addition to contributing to the regional capacity to protect against chemical weapons.
For the first time, the EU Joint Action is supporting a project for the implementation of Article X of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), which foresees that every Member State can exercise its right to request assistance and protection against chemical weapons if attacked or threatened by chemical weapons.
PR72 / 2007