The scenario for this multilateral exercise will focus on the OPCW’s response to a request for assistance by a State Party that has been threatened and attacked with chemical weapons. Participants will include specialised teams from Tunisia and 14 other OPCW States Parties*, from the OPCW Technical Secretariat in The Hague, and from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA).
Members of the international media are invited to observe the second day of the Live Exercise phase of ASSISTEX 3 on Thursday, 14 October 2010.
The Chemical Weapons Convention entered into force in 1997 and currently has 188 States Parties representing more than 98% of the world’s population and chemical industry. The Convention aims to achieve a world free of chemical weapons by comprehensively prohibiting their development, production or use. All States Parties are obligated to destroy any chemical weapons and associated production facilities they may possess, and collectively, to ensure that toxic chemicals and their precursors are only used for peaceful purposes. The OPCW verifies compliance with these provisions with a stringent regime of inspections covering all military and industrial sites of relevance to the Convention.
Another key provision of the Convention is that all States Parties pledge to provide assistance and protection to fellow States Parties against chemical weapons, as stated under Article X:
“8. Each State Party has the right to request and… to receive assistance and protection against the use or threat of use of chemical weapons if it considers that:
(a) chemical weapons have been used against it;
(b) riot control agents have been used against it as a method of warfare; or
(c) it is threatened by actions or activities of any State that are prohibited for States Parties by Article I.”
* Denmark, France, Germany, India, Italy, Iran, Libya, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom
Accordingly, the OPCW should be prepared to mobilise such assistance and to coordinate its activities with those of relevant national agencies and international organisations. The objective of ASSISTEX 3 is to provide a framework for evaluating the OPCW’s level of preparedness to fulfil this mandate. The first two ASSISTEX exercises were held in Zadar, Croatia in September 2002 and in Lviv, Ukraine in October 2005.
Media programme
The ASSISTEX 3 media programme on 14 October will take place at the 7 November Sport Complex in Rades, beginning with a pre-briefing on ground rules at 08.30 and concluding at 16:00, with lunch and beverages provided on-site. The two main programme elements will be:
1. Morning press conference featuring OPCW and Tunisian Government officials;
2. Tour of the exercise grounds with access to all activities for audiovisual filming and to technical experts who will explain the content and purpose of each activity.
There will also be a VIP demonstration exercise and closing ceremony on Friday 15 October, followed by a concluding press conference at 15:00.
All briefings and information materials will be provided in English, French and Arabic.
Media facilities
The 7 November Sport Complex is fully equipped with modern amenities for media coverage of events, including an outdoor viewing tribune for journalists with individual electric and Internet hook-ups for laptop computers. For ASSISTEX 3 the following provisions will also be made:
• transport for journalists from Tunis hotels to the complex in Rades and around the complex grounds to observe all exercise activities;
• indoor press room with computers and Internet connections.
Registration
As the host for ASSISTEX 3, the Government of Tunisia will handle all media registrations and visa requests, for which arrangements will be finalised in due course and advertised in a subsequent Media Advisory. In the interim, if you require additional information or have questions regarding media arrangements for ASSISTEX 3, please contact:
Mr Michael Luhan, OPCW Spokesman and Head/Media and Public Affairs
Tel: (31) 70.416.3710 or (31) 6.5356.8512
Email: media@opcw.org
For additional background information about the OPCW, Chemical Weapons Convention and ASSISTEX 3, please visit the OPCW website at www.opcw.org
PRESS RELEASE 3/2010 THE HAGUE, 3 AUGUST 2010