Weapons destruction too slow
28/04/2004 13:07 - (SA)
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Washington - The destruction of chemical weapons under an international convention is far behind schedule, according to a US government report released on Tuesday, highlighting fears that terrorists could obtain them before they are destroyed.
Neither the United States nor Russia - which together possess 95% of the world's declared stockpile of chemical arms - are likely to meet the deadline set in the 1997 Convention for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, even if it is extended to 2012, the US Government Accounting Office, an investigative arm of the US Congress, said in its report.
"While the (convention) has played an important role in reducing the risks from chemical weapons, the (convention's) non-proliferation goals have proven more difficult to achieve than originally anticipated," the report said.
With a 2007 deadline looming, only 11% of the 70 000 tons of declared chemical weapons had been destroyed by November, the report said.
The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, which is considering whether to extend that deadline to 2012, noted in its most recent quarterly report that 8 500 of 71 200 tons had been destroyed by February 29.
The report also said fewer than 40% of member states had adopted laws required under the convention to criminalise prohibited activities, and raised concerns that China, Iran, Russia and the Sudan have not fully declared their chemical weapons programmes.
Under the convention, the 161 member states are required to set up a national authority to monitor the trade and transfer of certain chemicals, and pass laws to control the development of chemicals.
Rwanda is set on Friday to become the 162nd nation to join the convention.
Terrorists
The GAO's findings reinforce concerns that terrorists might obtain stocks of chemical weapons before they are destroyed.
Central Intelligence Agency Director George Tenet warned last month that Islamist militant groups such as al-Qaeda maintained a strong interest in acquiring chemical weapons.
Jordanian authorities earlier this week said they foiled a plot by al-Qaeda operative and chemical expert Abu Mussab al-Zarqawi to hit Amman with chemical explosives that could have killed tens of thousands.
The report noted particular concern about Russia's 40 000 metric tons of chemical weapons - the world's largest known stockpile - of which only 1.1% had been destroyed by September.
In its report, the GAO criticised Russia for not having a credible plan to destroy all its chemical weapons and use the more than $2bn in international assistance already pledged to help pay for the process.
"Without a credible plan, Russian destruction efforts may experience further delays, leaving the Russian chemical weapons stockpile vulnerable to theft or diversion," the report said.