20 December 2013 - The Director-General of the OPCW has welcomed the announcement by Ms. Catherine Ashton of a contribution of 12 million Euros to the OPCW Special Trust Fund.

This contribution will be used to defray the costs of commercial disposal of chemicals which are to be removed from Syria and for which the OPCW has today issued a notice inviting tenders.

While thanking the European Union for this critical assistance, the Director-General has recalled the EU's longstanding and consistent support for the goals of the Chemical Weapons Convention including the significant financial contributions over the years to support a variety of OPCW programmes.