The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons has announced that more than 41 percent of all chemical warfare material declared under an international treaty has been eliminated, Interfax reported yesterday (see GSN, Oct. 29).
The figure accounts for 28,600 metric tons removed from declared chemical warfare stockpiles in India, Russia, the United States and other countries, said Krzysztof Paturej, head of the OPCW special projects office.
Paturej said that Albania and one additional Chemical Weapons Convention signatory — a nation widely assumed to be South Korea — have completely destroyed their chemical arsenals (see GSN, Oct. 17).
India has eliminated 97 percent of its chemical weapons and is on track to destroy its remaining stockpile by next April, he said.
The United States has provided significant assistance in destroying the chemical weapons of other nations, and has eliminated 15,400 metric tons, or 55 percent, of its own chemical stockpile, Paturej added (Interfax, Oct. 29).