He said that Germany, according to the agreements reached, provides the new facility with equipment. Work is now proceeding as scheduled but, the lack of financing may put off the completion date, Kirienko said.
"Work on the project is now only 40 to 50 percent financed. This cannot go on like that", he added. He noted that Germany is abiding by its obligations, while only 30 percent of the sums allocated by the United States are reaching Russia. The other 70 percent remain with the American companies hired for consultations.
A way out of this situation is to increase the amount allocated for the purpose from the Russian budget, believes the State Commission chairman.
Kirienko said that the wargas-destruction plant in Gorny in the Saratov region is also facing a problem: the matter of utilisation of the reaction mass produced from the destruction of wargases is still unsettled.
"Reaction mass poses no danger. But its being stockpiled is not good. The design has not yet been coordinated between the agencies and ecologists", the plenipotentiary explained.
By now, the Gorny plant has eliminated 60 tonnes of lewisite. On April 26, 2003 the first stage of elimination of poisonous agents of the 1st degree of danger was over at the plant - 1 percent of Russia's wargas reserves (400,651.1 kilogrammes of yperite) had been destroyed.
Russia ratified the international convention on the prohibition of the development, production, stockpiling, use and spread of chemical weapons in 1997. Under the convention, the Russian Federation has undertaken international obligations to destroy all the chemical weapons reserves left over from the USSR.
Under the convention, the destruction of wargases is four-stage. First, elimination of 1 percent of the reserves; second, 20 percent; third, 45 percent; fourth, 100 percent of the chemical weapons.
In 2002 the volume of international aid was 14 million dollars, in 2003 60 million, in 2004 310 million dollars is expected.
The total amount of wargases (chemical agents) reserves is 40,000 tonnes. They are kept in seven arsenals - Gorny (2.9 percent), Kambarka (15.9 percent), Kizner in the Udmurt republic (14.2 percent), Maradykovski in the Kirov region (17.4 percent), Pochep in the Bryansk region (18.8 percent), Leonidovka in the Penza region (17.2 percent), Schuchye in the Kurgan region (13.6 percent).
