Obama congratulates OPCW on winning Nobel Peace Prize

President Barack Obama on Friday congratulated the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) on being awarded Nobel Peace Prize, "which reinforces the international community's commitment to the international prohibition against the use of chemical weapons. "One of the Presidents highest priorities is to prevent the proliferation or use of weapons of mass destruction, and this award honors those who make it their lifes work to advance this vital goal," The White House said in statement. Since its establishment 16 years ago, the OPCW has stood at the forefront of the international community's efforts to verifiably eliminate some of the world's most dangerous weapons, it said. "Today's award recognizes that commitment, and reinforces the trust and confidence the world has placed in the OPCW, Director General Ahmet Uzumcu and the courageous OPCW experts and inspectors taking on the unprecedented challenge of eliminating Syria's chemical weapons program," the statement said. The United States strongly supports the OPCW, including its joint work with the United Nations, to ensure that Syria's chemical weapons stockpiles are placed under international control and ultimately destroyed, it said. "Today, we again call on all nations to work to bring to an end the conflict that has cost the lives of more than 100,000 Syrians, and to support the OPCW's efforts in the hope that future generations can live in a world free from the horrors of chemical weapons," the White House said.