Global Security: in Search of a New Vision - Center for Strategic ...

Chapter 23
The Pro lif er a tion of Weap ons of Mass Destruc tion—What Are
The Real Threats and How Should We Respond
Ambassador Rogelio Pfirter 1
OPENING REMARKS
It is a great plea sure to have once again the oppor tu nity to address the Inter na tional Work shop on
Global Secu rity. This annual event pro vides an impor tant forum for debat ing issues that are of rel e -
vance to our con tem po rary secu rity envi ron ment. I am sure that, as in the past, the results of the
debate will con trib ute to bring ing for ward our com mon think ing on the pos si ble solu tions to the con tin -
u ously evolv ing threats and chal lenges that the inter na tional com mu nity pres ently faces.
I am also par tic u larly grate ful to Minister Ignazio La Russa, the Min is ter of Defense of Italy, for sup -
port ing this meet ing. His sup port bears tes ti mony to his coun try’s con tin ued com mit ment to pro mot ing
a more peace ful and sta ble world, includ ing as a reli able part ner of the Orga ni za tion for the Pro hi bi tion
of Chem i cal Weap ons (OPCW) as it pro motes the goals enshrined in the Chem i cal Weap ons Con ven tion
(CWC). As a tool that aims to elim i nate for ever the pos si bil ity of the use of chem i cal weap ons, the con -
ven tion rep re sents a key instru ment in the frame work of the inter na tional com mu nity’s efforts towards
address ing the threat of weap ons of mass destruc tion.
THE URGENT NEED TO IMPLE MENT THE CWC
Espe cially in the con text of the cur rent global chal lenges that arise from the pos si ble mis use of dan -
gerous materials for terrorist purposes, the threat of chemical terrorism cannot be underestimated. The
ease of access to dual-use chem i cals, and the readily avail able knowl edge of the tech nol o gies required to
man u fac ture chem i cal weap ons, make them a poten tial instru ment of choice for ter ror ists. At the same
time, as much as the chem i cal indus try is a core indus try in our con tem po rary world, one whose prod ucts
sus tain mod ern life and prog ress, we have to make sure that advances in this area are exclu sively used for
the ben e fit of man kind and never diverted to cause unspeak able suffering.
1
Ambassador Rogelio Pfirter is Director-General of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.