THE HAGUE, April 21, (KUNA): Kuwait affirmed here Tuesday that it supports all international organizations in its efforts to counter the use of chemical weapons against any state. This affirmation came after the meeting between Assistant Undersecretary for the Kuwaiti Ministry of Defense Jasser Al-Jasser and General Director of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) Rogelio Pfirter. Al-Jasser, who is also the official in charge of dialogue with OPCW, said that the affirmation came to clear Kuwait’s stance regarding the issue of using chemical weapons.

On his part, Kuwaiti Ambassador to the Netherlands and permanent OPCW Yousif Al-Enizi said he also conveyed to Pfirter Kuwait’s firm stance against the use of such weapons, stressing that the Gulf country would cooperate on any efforts which limits the use of chemical elements in weapons. The OPCW is an international agency, located in The Hague, Netherlands. Its mission is to promote membership of the Chemical Weapons Convention treaty which entered into force in 1997 and mandated the elimination of “the scourge of chemical weapons forever and to verify the destruction of the declared chemical weapons stockpiles within stipulated deadlines.” It organizes inspection procedures to verify compliance with the treaty, and provides technical support to countries who have inherited a legacy of chemical weapons stockpiles from previous governments.