§ Mr. David ClarkTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of Russia's(a) biological and (b) chemical capabilities; and if he will make a statement. [30042]
§ Mr. SoamesRussia inherited offensive chemical and biological warfare capabilities from the former Soviet Union. Her Majesty's Government place a high priority on confirming the elimination of the former Soviet programmes in accordance with the biological and toxin weapons convention and the chemical weapons convention; we are pursuing this objective through discussions with Russia and in multilateral arms control negotiations.