RUSSIA SET TO MEET CHEMICAL WEAPONS DESTRUCTION DEADLINE

MOSCOW. (RIA Novosti military commentator Viktor Litovkin).

By the middle of this November, Russia had destroyed 737.5 metric tons of its Category 1 chemical agents. This figure represents 1.8% of the country's total stockpiles, which stand at 40,000 tons.

The remaining stockpiles include the entire store of yperite (690 tons), which is kept at installation to destroy chemical weapons in Gorny, the Saratov region. Lewisite stockpiles (252 tons) are currently being detoxified there and this work is to be completed by next December. Then, scientists will turn their attention to the 191 tons of yperite-lewisite mixtures at the facility.

Colonel General Viktor Kholstov, the deputy head of the Federal Agency for Industry, cited this deadline for the destruction of the yperite and lewisite blistering agents in a report at a forum, "Topical Problems of the Destruction of Chemical Weapons in Russia," which was arranged by the Russian non-governmental organization Green Cross. Apart from that, he said that all Category 2 and 3 chemical weapons - 330,000 units of non-chemical ammunition and devices and 10.6 tons of phosgene ammunition - had already been eliminated in Russia.

So, Russia has completely fulfilled its obligations to eliminate 1% of its chemical weapons by April 29, 2003. The situation concerning the fulfillment of obligations in the second stage of the destruction of toxic agents is not so simple. Under the international Convention on the Prohibition and Destruction of Chemical Weapons and the deadline agreed with the organization for the prohibition of these weapons, which is headquartered in The Hague, Russia should destroy 20% of its stockpiles, or 8,000 tons by April 29, 2007.

However, the Gorny plant, the only one of its kind in the country, does not have this level of agents. This means that Russia should quickly put into operation plants to destroy chemical weapons in Kambarka, (Udmurtia) where 6,360 tons of lewisite is stored in tank-trucks, and in Maradykovsky (the Kirov region), where 6,960 tons of yperite-lewisite mixtures and organic phosphorus toxic agents - sarin, soman and VX gases - are concentrated in aviation rockets and tanks.

These plants will be put into operation by the end of the next year and, provided nothing extraordinary happens, Russia will meet the deadline. Chemical weapons must be completely eliminated by April 29, 2012, although another four facilities to destroy chemical weapons will have to be built for this - in Kizner (Udmurtia), Leonidovka (the Penza region), Pochep (Bryansk region) and Shchuchye (the Kurgan region). Each of these installations must be put into operation by 2008 and destroy the chemical arsenals there within four years.

Admittedly, there is another well-known reason that may prevent Russia from doing this: money. As usual, Russia does not have enough. The Russian budget for 2005 provides for the allocation of 11,160,000,000 rubles ($373 million) for scrapping chemical weapons, or double the amount allocated for these purposes in 2004. Nevertheless, this is clearly not enough to fulfill the country's commitments to the international community.

The country needs at least $3-4 billion, or $500-600 million annually, to destroy its stockpiles. The state simply cannot afford such levels of funding.

However, the point at issue is that, when signing the Chemical Weapons Convention, Russia pointed to its shortage of funds. The states party to the convention, first of all, the world's leading countries, promised it to share its economic burden 50-50. America's representatives made particular assurances to this effect.

It turns out now, said General Kholstov, that foreign assistance accounts for a mere 7%, or $217 million, of Russia's total expenditures on the destruction of its toxic agents. Washington provides the least of all. Moreover, it has tagged on a number of conditions for its financial support. Some of themlook absolutely unrealistic. For example, it wants access for US inspectors to all chemical and biological research institutes and enterprises, even those that are not covered by the convention, and to other closed state and commercial information. Naturally, Moscow cannot agree to this.

The US has let Russia down with regard to the start-up of a plant to eliminate the artillery shells and missile warheads containing sarin, soman and VX gases in Shchuchye (the Kurgan region). This arsenal, where 5,440 tons of toxic agents are stored, and the Kambarka plant were to become the basis for Russia's implementation of the second stage of the destruction of chemical weapons. Washington assumed a commitment to allocate over $700 million for the construction of the plant's industrial zone but has failed to honor it. The State Targeted Program To Destroy Toxic Agents had to be considerably adjusted. In other words, the plant is being built too slowly, despite US representatives' claims that they are proud to be helping Russia to destroy its chemical weapons safely.

Patrick J. Wakefield, a deputy assistant to the US secretary of defense (chemical demilitarization and threat reduction), stated at the Russian Green Cross forum that late this August, Washington had allocated $220 million for the construction of the plant in Shchuchye, another $270 million for the destruction of the ammunition stored in this arsenal and $70 million for the organization of the protection of the plant against terrorists, promising that the total amount of US assistance to this plant would be over $1 billion. However, the Russian State Commission for Chemical Disarmament expressed serious doubts that all this money would reach the Kurgan region.

In reality, the greater part of the means allocated by Washington for assistance to Russia to destroy its chemical weapons, i.e., up to 70%, remains in the US, members of the state commission told RIA Novosti. The money goes toward projects that the Pentagon orders from its firms, holding briefings and consultations, organizing trips by groups of inspectors to Russia and back, receiving delegations and many other activities not directly related to the destruction of toxic agents. Indeed, this conclusion was confirmed by a check organized by Russian Interior Ministry and the president's Main Auditing Department.

Experts say that instead of counting on the US, we should rely on our own forces and states that really help our country to scrap the chemical weapons without much advertising this. There are quite a few such states. Germany is the indisputable leader among them. The Gorny facility was created with its assistance and it is helping Russia build the Kambarka plant to detoxify lewisite.

Russia has signed 28 intergovernmental and interdepartmental agreements on cooperation with foreign states on chemical disarmament. In the past two years alone, it has signed 15 agreements that means it will be able to attract $1.020 billion within the next five years. However, time will show what money will really work for this program.

In the meantime, Russia has to solve the difficult task of destroying its cold war stockpiles on its own. Assistance is not what matters in this case, as there cannot be turning back on this process. As the phrase goes, you will never know what you can do until you try. The deadline must be met.