FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2003
Disposing of chemical weapons a key task: Ivanov
AP
MOSCOW: Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov on Wednesday said that the disposal of Russia's Soviet-era chemical weapons remains a priority for Moscow, but extensive international support is needed to speed up the giant task.
"We are interested in constructive cooperation ... so that we can honour all of our commitments," the Interfax news agency quoted Ivanov as saying during a meeting with Rogelio Pfirter, director-general of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.
Russia has been trying to convince other nations of the seriousness of its efforts to destroy its chemical weapons arsenal, which at nearly 40,000 metric tons is the world's largest.
Russia, which made the commitment when it ratified the Chemical Weapons Convention in 1997, initially pledged to destroy its stockpile by 2007, but it has requested a five-year extension. Russian officials now say they plan to destroy 1 per cent of their chemical weapons arsenal by next year, 20 per cent by 2007, 45 per cent by 2009 and the remainder by 2012.
In December, Russia opened its first chemical weapons destruction facility. Two more facilities are planned in the coming years.
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