Director-General Ambassador Ahmet Üzümcü (right) and the United Kingdom’s Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, the Rt Hon Philip Hammond MP
The OPCW Director-General, Ambassador Ahmet Üzümcü, met with the United Kingdom’s Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, the Rt Hon Philip Hammond MP, during Mr Hammond’s visit to The Hague yesterday.
The Director-General updated the Foreign Secretary on progress in the OPCW’s ongoing mission to eliminate the chemical weapons programme of the Syrian Arab Republic. To date, the OPCW has verified the destruction of 98 percent of Syria’s declared chemical weapons. Destruction of 12 structures that previously housed chemical weapons production facilities is scheduled to begin this month and to be completed in mid-2015.
In addition to these verification activities, specially designated teams of OPCW experts continue to work with the Syrian authorities to clarify discrepancies in Syria’s initial declaration of its chemical weapons programme, and to establish facts in regard to the alleged use of toxic chemicals as weapons in Syria.
The Director-General expressed his appreciation for the UK’s support to the Syria mission, and more generally for its commitment and support to the work of the OPCW. The Foreign Secretary congratulated the Director-General on the work the OPCW has already done to eliminate Syria’s chemical weapon programme and stressed the importance of OPCW’s ongoing work with Syria.
They also discussed the importance of the remaining 6 States not Party joining the Chemical Weapons Convention.