Statement by the OPCW Director-General on the Destruction of Syrian Chemicals Aboard the MV Cape Ray

In an unprecedented undertaking, the U.S. Maritime Vessel Cape Ray has completed destruction of its entire consignment of 600 metric tonnes of Category 1 chemicals from the Syrian Arab Republic. This ends a crucial stage in the complex international maritime operation to remove and destroySyria’s chemical weapons stockpile. I wish to congratulate and thank theUnited States, the crew aboard theCape Ray, and our OPCW inspectors and demilitarisation experts for this remarkable achievement. The Cape Ray’s consignment included the most dangerous chemicals inSyria’s arsenal: 581 metric tonnes of DF, a binary precursor for sarin gas, and 19.8 metric tonnes of ready-to-use sulfur mustard (HD). They were neutralised with two Field Deployable Hydrolysis Systems (FDHS) on theCape Ray, which reduced their toxicity by 99.9 percent in line with the requirements of the Chemical Weapons Convention. Furthermore, the operation was successfully completed weeks ahead of the 60-day schedule theU.S.had estimated would be needed, and OPCW inspectors aboard the ship verified that no chemicals of any kind escaped into the sea or otherwise impacted the environment. The Cape Ray will now transport the effluent from the hydrolysis operations to Finland and Germany, where it will be offloaded for disposal at land-based facilities.

U.S. Completes Destruction of Sarin Precursors from Syria on the Cape Ray All 581 metric tonnes of a precursor chemical for sarin gas that were removed from the Syrian Arab Republic and trans-loaded onto the U.S. Maritime Vessel Cape Ray in early July, have been destroyed with neutralisation technology aboard the ship while sailing in international waters of the Mediterranean Sea. The destruction operations were continuously monitored and verified by a team of OPCW inspectors on the Cape Ray. The OPCW Director-General, Ambassador Ahmet Üzümcü, thanked the United States for completing the destruction of the precursor chemicals in a safe and environmentally sound manner, and for its overall contribution to the international efforts to eliminate Syria’s chemical weapons programme.   The precursor chemicals – methylphosphonyl difluoride, or DF – were neutralised with two Field Deployable Hydrolysis Systems (FDHS) that were installed on the Cape Ray for the purpose of destroying the most dangerous chemicals in Syria’s stockpile. The FDHS units mix the chemicals with fresh water and reagents and then heat the mixture, which reduces the toxicity of the chemicals by at least 99.9 percent. All of the resulting effluents, or reaction mass, from hydrolysis of the DF are stored aboard the ship. The Cape Ray has now begun operations to neutralise 19.8 metric tonnes of sulfur mustard, a blistering agent, which are all the Syrian chemicals that remain on the ship. When that has been completed, the Cape Ray will then transport the effluents from the DF and sulfur mustard for disposal at land-based facilities in Finland and Germany.

ICC President Judge Sang-Hyun Song and President of PARLASUR Hon. Rubén Martínez Huelmo met at MERCOSUR premises in Montevideo (Uruguay) on 4 August 2014  © Parlamento del MERCOSUR ICC concludes Framework Cooperation Arrangement with the Parliament of MERCOSUR  On 4 August 2014, Hon. Rubén Martínez Huelmo, President of PARLASUR (Parliament of the MERCOSUR, Common Market of the South) and the President of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Judge Sang-Hyun Song, met at MERCOSUR premises in Montevideo (Uruguay) to sign an Exchange of Letters for the establishment of a Framework Cooperation Arrangement between the ICC and PARLASUR. Recalling the connections between peace, justice and sustainable development, the two organisations agreed to develop their mutual cooperation on matters of common interest. Addressing the guests of the signing ceremony convened on this occasion, President Song stated that “each and every one of the 12 MERCOSUR Member States is a State Party to the Rome Statute, and each one of them has helped pave the way for a more effective international justice system. The shared aspiration of the ICC and MERCOSUR to unite the international community through cooperation and mutual understanding is the link that allows both organizations to jointly set the stepping stones for what today is a milestone agreement, and for what tomorrow can yield new avenues of combined efforts for the greater good.” In his remarks at the signing ceremony, President of PARLASUR Rubén Martínez Huelmo indicated MERCOSUR’s commitment to this institution “since the Parliament is in tune with the full force of the Rome Statute (…), which has been ratified by all the MERCOSUR Member States.” He added that PARLASUR has decided to sign this arrangement for the purpose of “the promotion and dissemination of international criminal law, the promotion and dissemination of the principles, values ​​and provisions of the Rome Statute and other related documents, and at the same time to provide public and political support for the mandate and activities of the International Criminal Court, which is implementing the Statute.” Likewise, “this agreement will enable the Parliament to gain prestige, as it is the only parliament of integration which has a Commission on Citizenship and Human Rights which reports annually on the status of rights and therefore is an element that participates to PARLASUR’s efforts in safeguarding the great values ​​of the Rome Statute.” Speaking at the event, Uruguayan Parliamentarian Felipe Michelini said that “it is a satisfaction that we advance in our work for the universality of the Rome Statute, so that all countries of the international community accede to the Statute (…) a task, which has allowed us to move forward, and to identify common objectives in the Rome Statute for the promotion and defense of human dignity.” All countries in South America – including the 5 full members of MERCOSUR (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and Venezuela) and the 7 associate members (Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru and Suriname) – have joined the Rome Statute – the ICC’s founding treaty. The ICC-PARLASUR Cooperation Arrangement, which is concluded in accordance with Article 87(6) of the Rome Statute, will help intensify the involvement of MERCOSUR and its Member States in the international criminal justice system. The Arrangement foresees that the ICC and PARLASUR will cooperate in matters of common interest such as: public and political support; promotion and dissemination of international criminal law, including the principles, values and provisions of the Rome Statute of the ICC; the promotion of legislation implementing the Rome Statute at national level as well as voluntary cooperation agreements of MERCOSUR Member States with the ICC; exchange of information and documents; and reciprocal invitations to conferences and meetings.

The 5^th of August 2014, the Prosecutor of the International criminal Court (“ICC” or the “Court”), Mrs Fatou Bensouda received H.E. Mr Riad al-Malki, the Foreign Minister of Palestine at the Seat of the Court in The Hague following a request by the Minister for a meeting.  At the meeting, Minister al-Malki expressed serious concerns over the latest conflict in Gaza and requested clarifications on different mechanisms for a State to accept the jurisdiction of the ICC and generally regarding the legal framework of the Rome Statute.  The meeting focused on providing those clarifications. Palestine is not a State Party to the Rome Statute; neither has the Court received any official document from Palestine indicating acceptance of ICC jurisdiction or requesting the Prosecutor to open an investigation into any alleged crimes following the adoption of the United Nations General Assembly Resolution (67/19) on 29 November 2012, which accorded non-member observer State status to Palestine.  Therefore, the ICC has no jurisdiction over alleged crimes committed on the territory of Palestine.