DIIS seminar: Konventionen om kemiske våben: Nedrustning og Syrien

TID: Torsdag den 26. juni kl. 10.00-11.30

STED: DIIS, Danish Institute for International Studies, Main auditorium, Gl. Kalkbrænderi Vej 51A, 2100 København Ø.

TILMELDING: Participation is free of charge, but registration is required. Please use the online registration form no later than Thursday, 25 June 2014 2013 at 12.00 noon. Sign up

The Chemical Weapons Convention, Disarmament and Syria: A discussion with OPCW Director General Ahmet Üzümcü

The 1997 entry into force of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) formally and internationally banned any possession and use of chemical weapons. The Convention also created a comprehensive verification regime for enforcing the ban, implemented by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).

Since their first (and unlimited) use during World War I, the stockpiles, means of delivery and the number of countries possessing chemical weapons increased exponentially throughout the twentieth century.

Their use also spread from Europe to Asia to the Middle East, with the latter becoming the only region to have experienced the recurrent use of chemical weapons: by Egypt during the Yemen War (1963–1967) and by Iraq during the Iran-Iraq War (1980–1988), including against its own Kurdish citizens (1988).

Confirmation of nerve gas use on 21 August 2013 in the eastern suburbs of Damascus therefore became the third case of use in the Middle East, breaking what had become the world’s longest peace (25 years) from the state-to-state use of chemical warfare in almost a century.

Following pressure from the international community, the Syrian government became the 190th state to join the CWC and in doing so agreed to destroy its chemical weapons (CW) stockpiles by 30 June 2014 – the deadline set by the OPCW and the United Nations.

Given the security situation in Syria, the destruction plan of the declared 1,000 tonnes of chemical agent requires the chemicals (except Isopropanol – a precursor to sarin which is to be destroyed in Syria) to be transported overland in multiple batches from 12 storage sites to the port of Latakia where they are loaded onto Danish and Norwegian civilian cargo ships.

These ships wait in international waters and head into the port to collect each batch before returning to international waters to await further consignments.

As of 20 May 2014, the OPCW-UN Joint Mission confirmed the entire declared stockpile of Isopropanol had been destroyed in Syria and a total of 92.5% of the chemical material had been removed from the country.

DIIS is pleased to host a discussion with Ahmet Üzümcü, Director General of the OPCW on the challenges for achieving a world free of chemical weapons, including chemical disarmament and prevention of reemergence of chemical weapons both in the hands of states and other actors, with a special emphasis on Syria.

Speakers

• Helle Malmvig, Senior Researcher, DIIS
• Ahmet Üzümcü, Director General, OPCW

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The seminar will be in English.