The global economic crisis could derail Russia's effort to meet the international deadline for full elimination of its chemical weapons arsenal, RIA Novosti reported yesterday (see GSN, Feb. 2).
A government assessment of the program is scheduled for this weekend, according to Valery Kapashin, who leads the Federal Department for the Safe Storage and Disposal of Chemical Weapons.
"We expect the funding of all tasks and facilities to be reduced by 3 percent to 15 percent due to the complicated situation in the country amid the global financial crisis," Kapashin said. "If this happens Russia will only be able to implement the (project's) third stage with great effort. If funding falls more than 15 percent we will not be able to fulfill any of our commitments."
The Chemical Weapons Convention requires Russia to eliminate its 40,000-metric-ton stockpile of chemical warfare materials by April 2012. Moscow has previously said it would meet the deadline, though observers have questioned that assertion (RIA Novosti, Feb. 26).