Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW)
8 May 2007
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 Wednesday, 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 has, among 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 1 700
participants have benefited from the international co-operation programmes
conducted by the OPCW.
Issued by Department of Foreign Affairs
8 May 2007
