From 11-15 October 2010 the OPCW will conduct its third exercise on the delivery of assistance and protection to States Parties against the use of chemical weapons. The exercise, ASSISTEX 3, is being jointly planned with the Government of Tunisia and will be held at the 7 November Sport Complex at Rades, in Tunis.
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 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 Denmark, France, India, Italy, Libya, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Tunisia, Turkey and the United Kingdom, together with personnel from the OPCW Technical Secretariat in The Hague and UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
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:
- 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.
- Informal briefing by the OPCW Director-General, Ambassador Ahmet Üzümcü of Turkey.
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. A copy of the registration form is attached, which should be submitted either by email or by fax to the Agence Tunisienne de Communication Extérieure (ATCE) at:
ATCE
Email: /cpi@intercom.tn
Fax: +216 71 334 008
If you have questions or require additional information 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: /michael.luhan@opcw.org
or
Ms Menchu Hernandez, Media and Public Affairs Office
Tel: +31 70 416 3722
Email: /maria.hernandezgomez@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 4/2010 THE HAGUE, 1 OCTOBER 2010