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In Kambarka, a Plant Is Opened to Destroy Chemical Weapons

Russia opened its second chemical weapons destruction plant on Wednesday, a key step in eliminating the world's largest arsenal of such arms.

The destruction plant in Kambarka, in the Udmurt republic, about 1,870 kilometers east of Moscow, is the site of 5,760 tons of lewisite stored in railway tank cars, according to Global Green USA. Tests at the plant began in December.

Russia already has neutralized 1,250 tons of lewisite and mustard agents at its first destruction facility in Gorny, in the Saratov region, which opened in December 2002.

"With the creation of the second of seven similar objects, a reliable foundation has been set for successful fulfillment of the second stage of destroying chemical weapons," Alexander Burutin, an adviser to President Vladimir Putin, said at the opening ceremony, Itar-Tass reported.

He said 3,200 tons of lewisite would be destroyed in the second phase of the weapons elimination program, and that the entire store of arms at the site would be neutralized by the end of 2008.

Russia's program calls for destroying 20 percent of all Russian chemical weapons by 2007, 45 percent by 2009 and the remaining 55 percent by 2012.

The Kambarka plant was financed by Russia, Germany, the European Union, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Finland.

Russia, which has some 44,000 tons of chemical weapons stockpiled in aging storehouses, signed the Chemical Weapons Convention in 1997, pledging to eliminate its arsenal within 10 years. Moscow later got permission to postpone the deadline by five years because of funding problems.