OPCW congratulates Iraq on wiping out remnants of chemical weapons

BRUSSELS, March 13 (KUNA) -- Director General of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), Ambassador Ahmet Uzumcu, congratulated the Iraqi government Tuesday on getting rid of its arsenal of chemical weapons.
"I welcome this notable achievement and congratulate the Iraqi government for their efforts in ensuring the proper destruction of these dangerous chemicals and for fulfilling its obligations deriving from the Chemical Weapons Convention," Uzumcu said in a statement.
After meeting the Iraqi Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research. Dr Abdulrazzaq Al-Jaleel Essa and his accompanying delegation at the Hague, Uzumcu presented the Iraqi Minister with a certificate recognizing the complete destruction of chemical weapons in Baghdad.
The OPCW chief further briefed Al Jaleel Essa on the OPCW's latest activities, including progress in the destruction of the declared former chemical weapons production facilities, the threat posed by non-State actors' access to chemical weapons and peaceful uses of chemistry.
In November 2017 and February 2018, OPCW's Technical Secretariat confirmed that Iraq's four chemical weapons production facilities were completely destroyed. Another facility, however, remains subject to inspection until 2028, the statement noted. (end) nk.nam