Following a visit to the U.S. chemical weapons destruction facility in Anniston, Alabama the OPCW Director-General, Ambassador Rogelio Pfirter, visited Washington D.C. on 18 and 19 February 2010 for high-level meetings with U.S. officials. He was accompanied on this visit by Ambassador Ahmet Üzümcü, who will succeed Ambassador Pfirter as Director-General in July.
Director–General Pfirter and Ambassador Üzümcü met with Ms Ellen Tauscher, Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security, and with Mr Andrew Weber, Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Nuclear, Chemical and Biological Defense Programs, Department of Defense. The Director-General congratulated Ms Tauscher and Mr Weber for the U.S. government’s having completed the destruction of 70% of its declared chemical weapons stockpile, as verified by OPCW inspectors. He provided them an update on the implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) and discussed the status of U.S. chemical weapons destruction activities. Ms Tauscher and Mr Weber reaffirmed the strong support of the U.S. for the work of the OPCW and for the full implementation of the CWC.
The Director–General and Ambassador Üzümcü also met with Ms Karin Look, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Verification and Compliance, and with Mr Vann Van Diepen, Acting Assistant Secretary of State for International Security and Nonproliferation.
In addition, they visited the Department of Commerce where they were received by Mr Daniel Hill, Acting Under Secretary of Commerce, and met at the American Chemistry Council with Mr Michael Walls, the Vice President of Regulatory and Technical Affairs.
The Director–General and Ambassador Üzümcü visited Capitol Hill where they met with senior staff members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
They also met with Dr Paul Walker, Director of Global Green USA’s Security and Sustainability program, and other NGO representatives.
OPCW News 04/2010