Global Security Newswire

Russia has reported destroying 37 percent of its arsenal of chemical warfare agents, Interfax reported last week (see GSN, July 30).

The government said Friday it is on schedule to destroy the entire stockpile by 2012, as promised.

"We will meet all deadlines," said Gen. Nikolai Abroskin, head of the Russian Federal Special Purpose Construction Agency. "There will be no delays in the implementation of the international convention. Today, the state authorities regard the federal program 'Destruction of Chemical Weapons Stockpiles in the Russian Federation' as one of the most successful programs in the country."

Under the international Chemical Weapons Convention, Russia must eliminate all chemical weapons by April 2012. Observers have expressed skepticism of Moscow's repeated affirmations of its ability to keep to that schedule.

Russia has already disposed of 15,000 metric tons of its 40,000-metric-ton arsenal of banned materials, according to government reports (Interfax, Aug. 7).