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Letter dated 7 March 2017 from the Secretary-General addressed to the President of the Security Council

I have the honour to convey herewith a report of the Director-General of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) on the status of the implementation of the plan for the destruction of Libyas remaining category 2 chemical weapons outside the territory of Libya (see annex). The report, dated 24 February 2017, covers the period from 23 January to 22 February 2017.

The report was prepared in accordance with the relevant provisions of OPCW Executive Council decision EC-M-52/DEC.1 of 20 July 2016 and Security Council resolution 2298 (2016) of 22 July 2016, for transmission to the Security Council.

I should be grateful if the present letter and its annex were brought to the attention of the members of the Security Council.

(Signed) Antnio Guterres

Annex

I have the honour to transmit to you my report entitled Status of the implementation of the plan for the destruction of Libyas remaining category 2 chemical weapons outside the territory of Libya, prepared in accordance with the relevant provisions of decision EC-M-52/DEC.1 of 20 July 2016 of the Executive Council of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and Security Council resolution 2298 (2016) of 22 July 2016, for transmission to the Security Council (see enclosure). The report covers the period from 23 January to 22 February 2017 and meets the reporting requirements set out in Executive Council decisions EC-M-52/DEC.2 of 27 July 2016 and EC-M-53/DEC.1 of 26 August 2016.

(Signed) Ahmet zmc

Enclosure

Report of the Director-General of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons

Status of the implementation of the plan for the destruction of Libyas remaining category 2 chemical weapons outside the territory of Libya

1. At its Fifty-Second Meeting, the Executive Council (hereinafter the Council) adopted a decision on the Destruction of Libyas Remaining Chemical Weapons (EC-M-52/DEC.1, dated 20 July 2016) and requested the Director-General to assist Libya in developing a modified plan of destruction of Libyas Category 2 chemical weapons. On 22 July 2016, the United Nations Security Council adopted resolution 2298 (2016), welcoming and endorsing the decision by the Council and requesting the Director-General, through the Secretary-General, to report to the Security Council on a regular basis until the destruction is complete and verified.

2. At the conclusion of its Fifty-Second Meeting, the Council adopted a decision entitled Detailed Requirements for the Destruction of Libyas Remaining Category 2 Chemical Weapons (EC-M-52/DEC.2, dated 27 July 2016). In operative paragraph 17 of that decision, the Council requested the Director-General to report to the Council on a monthly basis on the implementation of the decision. This sixth monthly report covers the period from 23 January to 22 February 2017.

Progress in the elimination of Libyan chemical weapons by the State Party hosting destruction activities

3. Gesellschaft zur Entsorgung von chemischen Kampfstoffen und Rstungsaltlasten mbH (GEKA mbH), the designated destruction facility at Munster, Germany, completed the destruction of the 2-chloroethanol in Incineration Plant 1 (Munster-1) on 17 December 2016.

4. A team from the Technical Secretariat (hereinafter the Secretariat) inspected GEKA mbH from 23 to 27 January and reported that, as at 20 January 2017, 238.655 metric tonnes, or 100% of the tributylamine had been destroyed. This destruction was accomplished using the afterburner of the plasma arc system. No problems were encountered with the destruction process.

5. GEKA mbH informed the Secretariat that, due to delays in obtaining the final approvals for the neutralisation system, destruction had begun using the incinerator at Munster-1. The first tank to be processed contained a mixture of PCl3 and POCl3, as determined during initial sampling. This tank presents fewer hazards due to the combination of chemicals. The contents will be fed slowly into the incinerator to prevent damage to it, and the feed rate will be increased based on the reaction. Samples from the remaining tanks indicate the contents as PCl3. GEKA mbH will continue to pursue the required permits and will change over to neutralisation upon receipt of the approvals.

6. Secretariat personnel will travel to Germany to conduct an inspection at GEKA mbH from 27 to 30 March 2017, and will be accompanied by two observers from the Libyan National Authority. Observations from the inspection of the destruction activities will continue to be included in the monthly updates.

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