The head of Russia’s chemical weapons demilitarization program has said that Russia plans to destroy 400 metric tons of chemical weapons — 1 percent of its total arsenal — by May 2003, ITAR-Tass reported yesterday (see GSN, June 12).

The Russian fiscal 2003 budget request for demilitarizing chemical weapons is more than $540 million, said Zinovy Pak, general director of the Russian Munitions Agency.

The fiscal 2003 request “is a realistic enough sum” if the United States abides by pledges to provide aid for the disposal effort, he added (see GSN, May 24).  To destroy the entire stockpile as mandated by the Chemical Weapons Convention, Russia needs at least $3 billion from the United States, Pak said.

“The most difficult thing for us now is to fulfill our obligations regarding the deadlines,” he said.  “We are seriously lagging behind” (Daima Timergaliyeva, ITAR-Tass, June 17).

Disposal Plant to Get Water

The United Kingdom announced today that it has signed a contract with U.S. contractor Parsons Delaware Inc. to oversee construction of a water pipeline and well system to provide water for a Russian chemical weapons disposal facility (see GSN, April 3).

The $3 million contract will provide water for the Shchuchye chemical weapons disposal plant, where more than 4 million artillery shells containing nerve gas are to be destroyed, the British Defense Ministry said (see GSN, May 30).  Russian subcontractor Stroyprogress will construct the pipeline in western Siberia, and is expected to be completed by the end of this year, the ministry said (Associated Press, June 18).

For further information, see:

CWC Text

OPCW

Federation of American Scientists List of Chemical Weapon Agents

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