Statement by South Africa on the 10th Anniversary of the OPCW

Pretoria - South Africa joins hands with the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) on this day, to mark the tenth anniversary of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) as well as to commemorate all victims of chemical weapons.

This anniversary provides a special occasion for the international community to publicly renew commitment to the multilateral-treaty system and to the object and purpose of the Convention and will be marked on 9 May 2007 with the unveiling of a memorial to all victims of chemical weapons in The Hague by Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands.

South Africa supports as an important international goal in securing the peaceful and safe future for our children and generations to come, the complete destruction as well as the non-proliferation of chemical weapons of mass destruction.

The CWC and the OPCW are unique in the field of disarmament and non-proliferation. No other process, institution or mechanism in this field has come close to realising, in a similar manner, the destruction and prohibition of an entire category of weapons of mass destruction (WMDs). This is the only multilateral instrument and institution that is realising actual disarmament, subject to an effective system of verification as well as setting specific deadlines whereby such destruction has to be completed.

The OPCW's has, amongst others, accomplished the verification of the destruction of more than 17.6 metric tons of chemical weapon agents (almost a quarter of the global stockpile of 71 metric tons) and overseeing the destruction of 2.67 million chemical munitions and containers (representing 30% of the total number of 8.6 million chemical munitions and containers).

South Africa strongly calls on all States Parties to the CWC who possess chemical weapons to actively continue with their destruction programmes and to ensure that all chemical weapons stockpiles are destroyed by the agreed deadlines.

South Africa supports the efforts of the OPCW to stop the spread of chemical weapons, especially in view of the rapidly growing global chemical industry. In particular its supports the promotion of international cooperation in the peaceful uses of chemistry, with a particular focuses on developing countries which are States Parties to the OPCW. In the past ten years over 1700 participants have benefited from the international cooperation programmes conducted by the OPCW.

Issued by Department of Foreign Affairs
Private Bag X152
Pretoria
0001

8 May 2007



ADDITIONAL INFROMATION

PLEASE NOTE: This background information was taken directly from the OPCW website and when used, should please be attributed to the source, i.e. the OPCW.

The CWC - A Decade of Chemical Disarmament

The Chemical Weapons Convention has broken new ground in multilateral disarmament.

It is the most comprehensive disarmament non-proliferation treaty ever to be implemented-its jurisdiction extends to the military, industry, and to each and every national of every country that joins.

The Convention has "zero tolerance" for chemical weapons - they will all be declared and eliminated. The production and spread of new weapons will be prevented.

This is the first, and only, multilateral disarmament agreement to mandate that the world be freed of the scourge of a weapon of mass destruction within an agreed timeframe.

The destruction and the non-proliferation of these weapons is very carefully verified - on-site whenever necessary.

182 States have voluntarily given up the option of developing, making, storing, using or helping others use chemical weapons. This renunciation is stipulated by the treaty.

States that join this treaty are making a permanent and active commitment to

• Deter any activity prohibited by the treaty, including, developing, making, owning, using or transferring chemical weapons and the means to make them
• Establish the internal laws and controls to detect a breach
• Pursue that breach
• Prosecute the perpetrators and punish the guilty
• Declare and secure relevant chemical weapons-related sites and stockpiles, if any, as well as, identify and declare industrial facilities
• Eliminate any chemical weapons and their means of productions under international verification and within the Convention's timelines
• Accept inspections conducted by international inspectors following inspection guidelines that have been negotiated and agreed in consensus
• To deliver protection and assistance in the event of a chemical attack upon any State Party

Verifying the ban

• Today, the Organisation has conducted over 2,800 inspections to ensure the total destruction of stockpiled weapons and to ensure the non-proliferation of chemical weapons or their precursors;
• The number of sites inspected is also steadily increasing, now numbering over 1,050 located in 77 countries.
• Almost 5,000 industrial sites worldwide have been declared and can be inspected.
• In the past ten years, the number of dedicated chemical weapons destruction facilities has increased four-fold from two operational facilities in 1997 to nine as of March 2007.
• The destruction of over 16.5 metric tons of chemical warfare agents has been verified by OPCW inspectors-a figure representing more than 23% of the global stockpile of 71 metric tons. In other words, over 16.5 million kilograms of the deadliest chemical compounds on earth can no longer threaten our security - an impressive figure.
• Under the Convention, six countries have declared chemical weapons (Albania, India, Libya, Russian Federation, United States and an unidentified State Party).
• Twelve countries have declared 65 former Chemical Weapons (CW) production facilities: Bosnia and Herzegovina, China, France, India, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Japan, the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, the Russian Federation, Serbia, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the United States of America, and another State Party.
• 100% of these former CW production facilities have been inactivated.
• Their inactive status is systematically checked to ensure that the facility cannot be reconstituted to produce chemical weapons.
• Almost 90% of the former chemical weapons factories are certified as destroyed or converted to purposes not prohibited under CWC.

Stopping the spread of chemical weapons

Global chemical industry is an indispensable partner in global effort to rid the world of chemical weapons.

• The OPCW receives 15,000 pages of declarations of relevant industrial activity annually, submitted by 79 countries. As the OPCW grows, its jurisdiction expands and the number of inspectable facilities increases
• The OPCW has completed over 1,150 industry inspections and we continue to incrementally increase the number of industrial inspections conducted annually. 200 industry inspections are funded in 2007, which represents a 100% increase in industrial verification activity since the OPCW's first full year of programme delivery in 1998.
• Toxic materials have been used as weapons by non-state actors. The consequences for public safety are severe. This potential threat is much too serious to allow any relaxation in the global and national effort to prevent such abuses.

Preventing chemical terrorism

• While the OPCW is not an anti-terrorism agency, the Convention contains a number of elements that can effectively advance the common struggle against terrorism.
• When OPCW Member States fulfil their obligations under the Convention, their conscientious implementation translates directly into security enhancement.
• Toxic chemicals can be acquired throughout the world. The know-how to produce simple chemical weapons is widely available. The technological and financial hurdles to be overcome are much less problematic than those posed by the illicit manufacture and use of primitive biological and nuclear weapons.
• The Convention now extends to over 98% of the relevant global chemical industry and over 98% of the global population.

Universality

• In the past ten years the OPCW's membership has more than doubled - the OPCW is the fastest growing disarmament organization in the world
• At the moment, only 14 countries are not yet members of the OPCW.
• The CWC will reach its fullest effectiveness when every State has joined and every State can implement the treaty to be able to deter any breach, and in case of need, can detect a breach, pursue the perpetrators and try them in a court of law.
• In the Middle East, we are calling upon Egypt, Iraq, Israel, Lebanon and Syria to join us.
• This ban is considered to be customary law - it does not provide any exception for any country. These weapons cannot provide either a legitimate strategic or tactical advantage. Their use is cruel and immoral and is reviled by almost every country in the world. No use of chemical weapons would today be considered acceptable under any circumstances. There are no strategic considerations that could justify failing to ratify this treaty. Responsible governments cannot conscience the use of these weapons.

Progress in national implementation

• 95% (172/181) of the States Parties have now notified or established their National Authority.
• 41% (75/181) of the States Parties have comprehensive legislation in place.
• 63% (114/181) of the States Parties have provided the Secretariat with the texts of the legislative and/or administrative measures adopted.
• Since 1997, over 3,000 government officials have received training in the establishment and operation of an effective National Authority, charged with enforcing the chemical weapons ban at national level.
• Over 115 Member States have submitted draft legislation for expert comment.
• In total, 241 legislative drafts have been proposed or commented on by OPCW experts.
• Three major cooperative programmes are organized and funded by the OPCW's Member States:
  
  
  • Assistance and Protection,
  • International Cooperation to foster the peaceful uses of chemistry and
  • Implementation Support for National Authorities and government officials, engaged in implementing the chemical weapons ban nationally.

Assistance and protection

• If a country that has ratified the treaty should be attacked with chemical weapons, or is threatened with such an attack or any other activity prohibited by the CWC, it has the right to request the OPCW's assistance and protection. All member countries are obligated to provide assistance and protection.
• Assistance and protection would include swiftly dispatching experts and equipment to determine the type of chemicals used, the extent of the support required and to coordinate all of the in-coming assistance that will be provided.
• The OPCW provides training to enhance the member countries' national capacity to protect against chemical weapons. Since the treaty entered into force in 1997, over 2,200 first responders and civil defense experts have received training from the OPCW in chemical weapons defense.

International cooperation

• The Convention not only foresees a world without chemical weapons, it demands its achievement. Through international cooperation, the OPCW can seed development in key disciplines that strengthen the national capacity to pursue peaceful chemistry and to effectively implement the chemical weapons ban.
• Over 5,600 "implementers" of the CWC have benefited from the over 500 activities organized or sponsored by the OPCW to enhance the peaceful uses of chemistry. For instance, the OPCW trains chemists and engineers in industrial best practice to safely manage chemicals in a complex industrial environment. Analytical skills are enhanced through specialized training programmes. Research projects receive modest funding, while internships at world-class research institutions are arranged.
• In total, over 1,400 scientists, engineers and researchers have received tailored, intensive training at state-of-the-art laboratories and modern industrial facilities. In addition, many national laboratories and research institutes have benefited from the OPCW's coordination of technical support.