ISLAMABAD - The speakers at a seminar on Tuesday stressed upon the need for mutual and sincere cooperation for the prohibition of chemical weapons in the emerging international security threats.
Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPWC) Director General Dr Ahmet Uzumcu acknowledged Pakistan’s immensely constructive role in helping the OPCW reach its target of a world free of chemical weapons. In his address, Dr Uzumcu recognized that the value and importance of multilateralism depended greatly on sustainable progress. He said that the case of chemical weapons in particular should provide hope and encouragement, describing the objective of the CWC as encompassing peace and security as the collective responsibility of all member states and verified the destruction of over 71 percent of international weapon stockpiles.
He said that the development of national preparedness was an essential task so that the states could respond appropriately in the eventuality of an attack or accident. He said that more than 2,000 verifications had been conducted in over 80 countries. He concluded by acknowledging the support extended by Pakistan to the OPWC and projected that by 2016, only one percent of weapons will remain to be destroyed.
Disarmament and CWC National Authority Director General Dr Irfan Yousaf Shamsi emphasised that the CWC was the only international treaty in recent history that had unilaterally and un-categorically called for the complete destruction of chemical weapons. According to Dr Shami, both the CWC and the OPWC were fundamental cornerstones in international disarmament. More
