Almost 63% of the world's declared amounts of chemical warfare materials have been eliminated through the Chemical Weapons Convention, the head of the pact's oversight body declared last month.

Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons Director General Ahmet Üzümcü, in a Nov. 29 opening address to delegates attending a conference of CWC member nations, said 43,619 metric tons of chemical agents had been eliminated. At the last states parties meeting one year ago, only 42 percent of those materials had been destroyed.

Seven nations to date have joined the Chemical Weapons Convention while possessing chemical warfare materials. Albania, India and South Korea have completed their mandated disarmament activities. Russia and the United States are continuing weapons disposal but are not expected to meet a April 2012 destruction deadline. Libya recently began elimination of its small chemical arsenal, Üzümcü said, while disposal operations have yet to begin in Iraq.

As of the end of October, Russia had eliminated nearly half of its stockpile, roughly 19,423 metric tons of warfare materials, and the United States had destroyed 22,526 metric tons -- slightly more than 80 percent of its arsenal.

"Both these countries have demonstrated over the years their firm resolve to abide by their solemn obligations under the convention and to complete the destruction of their stockpiles at the earliest possible date," the OPCW chief said.

The OPCW Executive Council is presently weighing the matter of Moscow and Washington's anticipated breach of their disarmament deadlines, he said.

"In the case of Iraq, the [OPCW Technical] Secretariat has continued to provide assistance in clarifying remaining matters regarding its [stockpile] declarations, including the question of the destruction and conversion of its former chemical weapons production facilities," Üzümcü said.

Discussions with Iraqi officials indicate that "a number of matters that are a prerequisite for the identification of appropriate methods for the destruction of declared chemical weapons still need further consideration or clarification. Iraq, on its part, has once again reiterated its firm commitment to meeting its obligations under the convention and to finalizing its declarations so that initial inspections can take place," he said.

Üzümcü lauded Libya for its progress in destroying its chemical agents, of which 1 metric ton, roughly 4 percent of the stockpile, had been eliminated by the end of October. Work stopped in November so that additional technology could be put in place, but operations were expected to begin earlier this month.

Convention member states approved the recommended extensions of Libya's intermediate disposal deadlines, according to an OPCW release issued Friday.

While calling on CWC member states with chemical stockpiles to pursue all necessary actions to meet the April 2012 deadline, the conference recommended that the Executive Council head maintain unofficial discussions on when and how to begin council talks on "the final extended deadline for destruction of chemical weapons".

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