Russia steps up eliminating chemical weapons stockpiles

30 May, 2009, 12:06

Russia has unveiled a new plant to destroy chemical weapons stockpiled during Soviet times to a 2012 deadline, set by a UN convention fifteen years ago to eliminate chemical weaponry across the world.

The newly-activated Russian facility for the destruction of chemical weapons in Schuchye, in Russia’s Urals, is a $600 million project with multinational investment.

Russia still possesses the world’s largest World War II chemical arsenal. Two years ago, it failed to meet the deadline to destroy the weapons, but now Moscow says it’s back on track to destroy the entire arsenal on time.

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“Russia has already destroyed 36% of its chemical weapons stockpiles. By the end of this year we'll be up to 46%. The entire arsenal, that's 40,000 tons, will be gone by 2012. We won't even let the economic crisis get in the way,” promised Russia’s industry and trade minister Viktor Khristenko.

Russia’s stockpiles are stored at seven depots in Central Russia, the Volga District, and Schuchye.

Destruction plants are already operating at five of the depots, with more set to open at the remaining two within a year. Estimates say there is more than enough nerve gas at the Shchuchye storage alone to wipe out every person on Earth.

The head of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) Rogelio Pfirter says that “Today, chemical weapons have lost their security significance, that is the reason why we see them being destroyed all over the place. They remain basically as a weapon of terror against civilians.”

In a global disarmament drive, countries are working to get rid of their arsenals with almost the same zeal that they showed building them up.

The 1993 Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) bans the development, production, stockpiling, transfer, and use of chemical weapons. It has been ratified by almost 200 states.

Out of the six admitting to chemical stockpiles, three of them – India, South Korea and Albania – have destroyed their weapons. The remaining three – the US, Libya and Russia – say they'll do so by 2012, although there are doubts in the media that Washington will make the deadline.

“The US takes very seriously its 2012 obligations. We’ll do our best to find extra money as well as technical means,” insisted US Senator for Indiana Richard Lugar.

Some countries seem less enthusiastic. Rogelia Pfirter notes that:

“There remains concern in the case with North Korea. They continue production,” he recalls.

Without all countries onboard, the drive to create a weapons-free-world could end in fiasco.

By the year 2012 the world is expected to get rid of all chemical weapons. With this recent plant operational, and the five facilities now up and running in Russia, it seems Russia is well on its way to meeting the target of destroying its 40,000 tons within the next three years, but the global picture will depend on how other nations deal with their deadly stockpiles.