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Russia Approves Chemical Weapons Disposal Plan
Russia yesterday approved a plan to destroy its chemical weapons stockpile by 2012, Agence France-Presse reported (see GSN, July 19). Under the $6 billion proposal, 20 percent of Russia’s 40,000 ton arsenal would be destroyed by 2007, 45 percent by 2009, and 100 percent in 2012. The Russian schedule would meet the deadline for parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention to fully eliminate their chemical munitions. “Even though it has the biggest chemical weapons stockpile in the world, Russia has also come up with the safest technologies for disarmament,” Russia’s RIA Novosti quoted Industry and Energy Minister Viktor Khristenko as saying. Russia to date has only constructed one chemical weapons destruction facility, but it plans to build six more by 2009, AFP reported, citing Russia’s Interfax news agency. Foreign countries are expected to cover $385 million of the plan’s cost. Members of the Group of Eight nations in 2002 offered Russia up to $20 billion to secure WMD facilities and destroy military plutonium and chemical weapons. Final approval of the chemical weapons disarmament plan is expected before Aug. 15, according to AFP (Agence France-Presse/DefenseNews.com, July 21).
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