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 Inspectors visit Russia chemical weapons disposal facility. 14.12.2006, 19.42 |
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KIROV, December 14 (Itar-Tass) -- A group of international inspectors from the Hague-based Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons arrived at a facility for disposal of war gases in the settlement of Maradykovo, Kirov region, on Thursday. "This is usual planned inspection that is conducted within the framework of procedures envisaged by the international convention on the ban on the development, production and spread of chemical weapons," the chief of the regional department of convention problems, Mikhail Manin, told ITAR-TASS. He said that there had been several checks at the Madarykovo facility this year. "The international inspections have shown that all operations to destroy especially dangerous means of mass destruction are carried out in strict accordance with international safety norms. All accounts of the international inspectors stated a high safety level of Russian technologies for destruction of chemical weapons, safety of their storage and a normal condition of the environment," Manin said. He said that the facility was in a normal operation. Over 14,500 air bombs filled with yperitis and lewisite blends are at the stage of detoxification and 765 have been detoxified. A so-called stock produced in the detoxification process, is stored at a special depot. The Maradykovo arsenal of chemica weapons is the second- largest in Russia. Beginning from1953, it stored over 40,000 air bombs filled with blister gas. Under a federal programme of chemical weapons disposal, the whole Maradykovo arsenal is to be liquidated in 2012. |