of Directors-General is shown below. The appointment of Ambassador Arias followed a consensus recommendation by the OPCW Executive Council in October 2017. Ambassador Arias is a career diplomat with extensive experience in multilateral diplomacy. Previously, he served as Ambassador of Spain to the Netherlands and the Permanent Representative of Spain to the OPCW. He also has served as Permanent Representative of Spain to the United Nations in New York and Ambassador of Spain to Mali, Mauritania, former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, and Bulgaria. Conviction by the Administrative Tribunal of the International Labour Organization In 2002, the United States convened an extraordinary session of the Conference of the States Parties of the OPCW to request the dismissal of José Bustani, then Director General of the OPCW. Bustani was dismissed following the vote, held on 22 April 2002, with 48 states voting in favor, 7 against and 43 abstaining. Subsequently, Bustani accused the United States of having provoked his impeachment because he had succeeded in convincing Saddam Hussein to ratify the Chemical Weapons Convention, which implied inspection of the Iraqi arsenal by OPCW investigators and would have thwarted the American plan of an invasion of Iraq. He also lodged a complaint before the Administrative Tribunal of the International Labour Organization, which, by a judgment of 16 July 2003, quashed the dismissal and condemned the OPCW to compensation for material and moral damage. Bustani did not seek to be reinstated in office. See also 1990 Chemical Weapons Accord Australia Group Day of Remembrance for All Victims of Chemical Warfare International Dialogue on Underwater Munitions (IDUM) Chemical bombing of Sardasht Halabja poison gas attack References External links 20th century in law 21st century in law Chemical weapons demilitarization Intergovernmental organizations established by treaty Organizations established in 1997 1997 establishments in the Netherlands Organisations based in The Hague Organizations awarded Nobel Peace Prizes Netherlands and the United Nations