May 2003 information visit concludes

Participants from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Palau and Tuvalu have taken part in an information visit to the CTBTO Preparatory Commission headquarters at Vienna. The information visit took place from 12 to 16 May 2003. The participants were Mrs Nduku Booto, Minister Counsellor at the Permanent Mission of the
Democratic Republic of the Congo to the United Nations in New York, Mr Minute Taupo, Deputy Permanent Representative of Tuvalu to the United Nations in New York, and Mr Isaac Soaladaob of the Division of Foreign Relations, Bureau of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of State of Palau. The information visit was financed through a voluntary contribution from the Netherlands. It aimed to enhance awareness of the significance of the Treaty, and to support the establishment of International Monitoring System stations. The participants met with the Executive Secretary and were briefed by the Legal and External Relations Division, as well as by each of the technical Divisions. Participants had the opportunity to meet with the Permanent Representative of the Netherlands, who said that the international community must continue working together to make the threat of nuclear weapons a "thing of the past".