The Joint Mission of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and the UN (OPCW-UN) drew to a close yesterday.
“The work of the Joint Mission has been vital to the success of international efforts to eliminate Syria’s chemical weapons programme,” said OPCW Director-General, Ahmet Üzümcü.
He called the Joint Mission “an excellent example of how practical cooperation between international organizations can achieve tangible results in disarmament.”
The UN Security Council formally approved the mission in October 2013. The removal of the most critical material for destruction began in early January, in line with an agreement brokered by Russia and the United States, by which Syria renounced its chemical weapons material and joined 1992 Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons.
The removal of the chemical agents out of the country involved transporting them to the port of Latakia, where they were shipped on commercial vessels provided by some Member States. They were then loaded onto a United States ship and destroyed at sea using hydrolysis.
The Joint Mission was headed by Special Coordinator Sigrid Kaag, whose “extraordinary efforts and leadership” were praised by Mr. Üzümcü.
The OPCW mission in Syria will continue to deal with the destruction of chemical weapon production facilities and clarification of certain aspects of the Syrian initial declaration.
The provision of safety, security and logistical support for the OPCW has transitioned to the UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS), which has signed an agreement with the organization.
un.org
1/10/14
Chemical weapons watchdog to stay in Syria for inspections — UN SecGen....
ReplyDeleteDespite the closure of the joint mission to oversee the destruction of Syria’s chemical weapons stockpiles on September 30, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) will stay in the country to carry out inspections, the UN chief said.
In a letter to the UN Security Council published on Wednesday, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said that in an effort to ensure the uninterrupted work, he has asked the special coordinator of the joint OPCW-UN mission, Sigrid Kaag, to support this decision.
"Joint Mission has successfully conducted its work over the past twelve months under extremely challenging and complex circumstances," the UN chief said in Wednesday's statement.
Mr. Ban expressed “his deep gratitude” to Kaag and other staff members from both the UN and the OPCW, who have worked “under difficult and often dangerous conditions” to complete the elimination of the declared chemical weapons program of the Syrian Arab Republic.
The Secretary-General stressed “the need for a world free of chemical weapons" and reiterated "his call upon those States that have not done so to accede to the Chemical Weapons Convention."........................http://en.itar-tass.com/world/752316
2/10/14