Chemical Weapons (Hansard, 21 May 2002)

§ Andrew Mackinlay
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the states that he described in his letter of 19 March to José Bustani as OPCW's main member states were. [58331]

§ Mr. Bradshaw
In this context, the 41 member states drawn from all regional groups represented on the Executive Council—the executive organ of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.

§ Andrew Mackinlay
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what complaints were made by the Chief Financial Officer of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons in respect of the financial management of the organisation. [58320]

§ Mr. Bradshaw
There is no post with the title of Chief Financial Officer at the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). However, the former Director-General, as Chief Executive Officer of the OPCW Technical Secretariat did, on occasions, criticise the staff working under him in the financial areas of the Secretariat.
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§ Andrew Mackinlay
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the differences between OPCS's main member states and José Bustani referred to by the Foreign Secretary in his letter to Mr. Bustani dated 19 March were. [58330]

§ Mr. Bradshaw
The differences between Mr. Bustani and states represented on the Executive Council of the OPCW, centred on the financial and administrative management of the organisation.

§ Andrew Mackinlay
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent complaints were made about the Chief Financial Officer to member states of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons in respect of the financial management of the organisation. [58307]

§ Mr. Bradshaw
There is no post of Chief Financial Officer at the Organisation for the Prevention of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). However, a number of complaints about the former Director-General—the Chief Executive Officer of the OPCW—were published by the United States. These mainly related to the failure to monitor expenditure in 2000, leading to a deficit; failure to explain financial problems arising in 2001; and presentation of unrealistically high budgetary bids.

§ Andrew Mackinlay
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on what occasions Dame Rosemary Spencer made representations to José Bustani on behalf of Her Majesty's Government that were critical of his stewardship, or the direction, of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons during her period as ambassador. [58308]

§ Mr. Bradshaw
I refer my hon. Friend to the answer below (UIN 58306).

§ Andrew Mackinlay
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on what occasions the UK ambassador to the Hague made representations to José Bustani that were critical of(a) his stewardship and (b) the direction of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons prior to the latter's dismissal. [58306]

§ Mr. Bradshaw
The then British ambassador (Dame Rosemary Spencer) joined other major financial contributors in a call on Mr. Bustani, on 23 February 2001, to express our concern at his decision to apply major cuts to the verification programme. On 6 April 2001, the UK representative to the OPCW Executive Council took part in a similar call, urging a more co-operative approach, pressing for assurances that financial controls had been put in place to correct evident shortcomings, and requesting revision of Mr. Bustani's 2002 budget proposals. The UK representative on the Executive Council had made similar points in a private meeting with Mr. Bustani on 5 April 2001. The current British ambassador (Colin Budd) met with Mr. Bustani on 15 March 2002 to inform him that the UK believed that it would be in the best interests of the OPCW and the chemical weapons convention if he were to resign.