|
|
|
 |
FreeRepublic , LLC PO BOX 9771 FRESNO, CA 93794
|
|
|
|
Posted on 01/21/2003 4:45:08 PM PST by knighthawk
RUSSIA has reportedly destroyed about 50 tonnes of chemical weapons in the first month of operations at a new facility built to help eliminate the country's huge arsenal.
The facility in Gorny, about 700km south-east of Moscow, expected to dispose of 400 tonnes by April, former Prime Minister Sergei Kiriyenko told the ITAR-Tass news agency.
Kiriyenko, who now serves as chairman of the State Commission on Chemical Disarmament, said that the facility has been working non-stop since opening.
Russia has budgeted $US174 million ($297 million) for destroying chemical weapons in 2003, about the same as 2002 and far less than what officials had hoped for, according to news reports.
Moscow has been trying to convince other nations of the seriousness of its efforts to destroy the arsenal, which at almost 40,000 tonnes is the world's largest.
But, the process, launched after Russia ratified the 1997 Chemical Weapons Convention, has been beset by numerous delays blamed on a lack of funding, including from other countries, such as the United States.
It got a new impetus last month when the Gorny facility opened. Moscow's plans call for two other destruction facilities at Shchuchye in the Ural Mountains and Kambarka.
If people want on or off this list, please let me know.
|
|
|
|
|
FreeRepublic , LLC PO BOX 9771 FRESNO, CA 93794
|
|
|
|
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.