Conference on Disarmament - EU Statement on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW)
Mr. President,
I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union. The Candidate Countries the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia[*], Montenegro* and Albania*, the country of the Stabilisation and Association Process and potential candidate Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ukraine as well as the Republic of Moldova and Georgia align themselves with this statement.
We are delighted to welcome Director-General, Ambassador Ahmet Üzümcü to the Conference on Disarmament and would like to take this opportunity to convey to him our warmest congratulations on the 20th anniversary of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).
The Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) is the sole international treaty which abolished an entire category of weapons of mass destruction in a verifiable manner, under international supervision. It is an example of effective multilateralism as applied to the field of non-proliferation and disarmament. We can be proud that this Convention was negotiated in the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva.
We would like to commend Director-General Üzümcü for the outstanding way in which he has dealt with various challenges facing his important organisation over the past years. We would also like to express our appreciation to the entire OPCW staff for their commitment and dedication to implement the provisions of the Chemical Weapons Convention in order to achieve a world that is free of chemical weapons and of the threat of their use. Their remarkable work was recognised in the 2013 Nobel Peace Prize.
However, that goal has yet to be achieved and the OPCW’s important work is far from done. The UN-OPCW Joint Investigative Mechanism’s conclusion last year that both the Syrian Arab Republic and Da’esh have used chemical weapons in Syria, and the more recent confirmed sarin attack in the Syrian town of Khan Sheikhoun earlier this year remind us once again of the importance of full observance of the Chemical Weapons Convention and the vital role the OPCW plays in its implementation.
Mr. President,
The proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery remains a growing threat to international peace and security. The EU is gravely concerned over the risk of State or non-State actors acquiring such weapons or material, which has already become a dark reality in Syria and also in Iraq.
The EU reiterates its condemnation in the strongest terms of all use of chemical weapons in Syria. There can be no impunity and those responsible for any use of chemical weapons must be held accountable.
The EU fully supports the work of the OPCW and its Fact-Finding Mission (FFM) and the UN-OPCW Joint Investigative Mechanism (JIM) who are working under difficult circumstances in a professional and impartial manner.
We welcome the latest report of the Fact-Finding Mission confirming the use of sulfur mustard at Um-Housh on 16 September 2016 and of sarin at Khan Sheikhoun on 4 April 2017, as an important step in holding to account those responsible, and look forward to the findings of the Joint Investigative Mechanism on this important question. We hope that JIM will be able to attribute responsibility to the perpetrators for those cases deferred to it by the FFM in accordance with its mandate.
We call on all parties in the Syrian Arab Republic to fully cooperate with the OPCW FFM and JIM to ensure that their tasks can be carried out in a safe, independent and effective manner. It is important that the Director-General of the OPCW continues to brief the UN Security Council on the findings of the FFM in coordination with the UN Secretary General, as necessary.
The EU recalls that as a State Party to the Chemical Weapons Convention, the Syrian Arab Republic has explicitly obligated itself not to possess, develop or use chemical weapons. The continuing use of chemical weapons in Syria makes it all the more important that Syria finally provides a comprehensive and complete declaration of its chemical weapons programme.
In this respect, the EU fully supports the valuable work of the Declaration Assessment Team (DAT) of the OPCW. This work must be continued in order to investigate the gaps and inconsistencies described in the DAT’s previous reports.
The EU remains concerned with allegations of use of chemical weapons by non-State actors in Iraq and expresses its continued concern regarding the use of nerve agent VX at an airport in Malaysia on 13 February 2017. These incidents threaten international peace and security and constitute clear violations of the norm against chemical weapon use. The EU reiterates its strong belief that the use of chemical weapons by anyone, be it State or non-State actors, anywhere and under any circumstances is abhorrent and must be rigorously condemned and that those responsible for such acts must be held responsible.
The EU considers that full and effective national implementation of the Convention in accordance with Article VII is an important way for States Parties to help prevent the use of chemical weapons by non-State actors. We underline the importance of implementing the existing legal frameworks which address the acts of chemical terrorism and further national measures to strengthen chemical safety and security in cooperation with relevant stakeholders.
Mr. President
The European Union has been a strong and consistent supporter of the OPCW in the implementation of its mandate, politically and financially. The EU continues to support activities in all areas of the Convention, including national implementation, assistance and protection, international cooperation and in particular the Africa Programme, contributing to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. More than 12 million EUR have been provided to the OPCW since 2004 through voluntary contributions, along with further 20 million EUR in support of the OPCW-Syria related activities and 4,6 million EUR in support of the OPCW Fact-Finding Mission (FFM)-Joint Investigative Mechanism (JIM).
Universality remains one of our principal challenges. We once again call upon those States not yet Party to the CCW – the DPRK, Egypt, Israel and South Sudan - to join the Convention without delay.
We also call on the possessor States to complete the destruction of declared stockpiles and verification thereof within the agreed deadlines.
The EU expresses satisfaction with the progress of destruction of the remaining Libyan chemicals stockpile. We commend the OPCW for the planning of the safe removal and destruction of the chemicals to which several EU Member States contributed. The EU and its Member States reaffirm their readiness to support the implementation of the destruction plan.
The OPCW's mission, which also covers cooperation in chemistry for peaceful purposes for all, contributes to international security and stability, to general and complete disarmament and to global economic development.
Thank you, Mr. President
[*] The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, and Albania continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.