OPCW officials visit United States

Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) officials recently visited the United States, touring Colorado’s Pueblo Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant (PCAPP).

The group included the OPCW Director-General H.E. Fernando Arias, Chairperson of the Executive Council H.E. Ambassador Jana Reinišová, of the Czech Republic, representatives of OPCW regional groups and observers.

“The work undertaken at the Pueblo facility represents a key part of the US government’s ongoing efforts to meet its commitments set out by the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) to eradicate its chemical weapons stockpile,” Reinišová said. “The OPCW delegation was pleased to observe the destruction process underway and hopes to see the task completed as planned.”

During the visit, the delegation reviewed the status of the destruction of blister agent mustard stored in projectiles and mortars at the Army Pueblo Chemical Depot, toured the site, and received detailed briefings from the Department of Defense and the Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives (ACWA) program, which covered plans to complete destruction of the chemical stockpile.

OPCW oversees the global goal of permanently eliminating chemical weapons. Since the Convention’s entry into force in 1997, it is the most successful disarmament treaty eliminating an entire class of weapons of mass destruction and over 96 percent of all chemical weapon stockpiles declared by possessor States have been destroyed under OPCW verification.