THE HAGUE, July 8 (Xinhua) -- As the United States has destroyed the last batch of its declared chemical weapons, all declared chemical weapons of all States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) had been destroyed, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) announced on Friday.
The last chemical munition of the United States's declared chemical weapons stockpile was "irreversibly destroyed" earlier on Friday at a plant in Kentucky, the OPCW said in a press release.
OPCW Director-General Fernando Arias congratulated all States Parties on "this major achievement for the international community."
"The end of destruction of all declared chemical weapons stockpiles is an important milestone for the organization," he said. "It is a critical step towards achieving its mission to permanently eliminate all chemical weapons."
"This represents a historic success of multilateralism in the field of disarmament, and the work of a generation of diplomats and experts over the past 26 years," he said.
But Arias also noted that there are "more challenges" ahead, which require the international community's "continued attention," including "abandoned and old chemical weapons" which still need to be recovered and destroyed.
According to the OPCW, since the CWC entered into force in 1997, the OPCW has verified the destruction of 72,304.34 tons of stockpiled chemical weapons, declared by countries around the world.
As the implementing body for the CWC, which entered into force in 1997, the OPCW, with its 193 member states, oversees the global endeavor to permanently eliminate chemical weapons.
For its extensive efforts in eliminating chemical weapons, the OPCW received the 2013 Nobel Peace Prize. ■
