U.S. President Barack Obama
Amb. Pfirter: His selection for this year’s Nobel Peace Prize will inspire and invigorate all who are working for a world free of weapons of mass destruction.
The OPCW Director-General, Ambassador Rogelio Pfirter, issued the following statement today on the selection of U.S. President Barack Obama for the 2009 Peace Prize:
I warmly congratulate President Barack Obama for winning the Nobel Peace Prize and heartily applaud his selection by the Nobel Committee.
Since taking office, President Obama has made a singular contribution to restoring multilateralism as the preferred means for ensuring international peace and security. He has also transformed and advanced the debate on disarmament and non-proliferation by offering his vision of a world free of weapons of mass destruction and by taking concrete initiatives in that direction.
His selection for this year’s Nobel Peace Prize will inspire and invigorate all who are working for a world free of these weapons.
The Director-General also recalled that shortly after taking office President Obama had sent him a message expressing his support for the work of the OPCW.
188 States Parties have joined the Chemical Weapons Convention, underscoring their support for a chemical weapons-free world
PRESS RELEASE 08 /2009