§ Lord Joplingasked Her Majesty's Government:
With reference to Annex D on page 44 of their publication The G8 Global Partnership on the destruction of former Soviet chemical weapons, what form of munitions comprise the "Over four million nerve gas Filled munitions …" other than the ones described earlier as "… some two million artillery and rocket munitions are stored containing some 5,500 tonnes of the nerve agents Sarin, Soman and Vx"; and [HL644]
Where they are proposing to destroy the remaining 10 per cent, or thereabouts, of all declared Russian CW munitions which will not be destroyed at Shchuch'ye and Kizner depots; when destruction is proposed to begin; and what contribution the Government intend to make to this work. [HL645]
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Lord Bach)The Chemical Weapons Convention requires states parties who declare possession of chemical weapons to destroy them. The Russian Federation is therefore responsible for the programme of destruction of its declared chemical weapons stockpile, which comprises both bulk agent and Filled munitions.
Russia began destruction at Gorny in December 2002 of the bulk mustard and lewisite stored there, representing 2.9 per cent by volume of Russia's total declared chemical weapon agent. Work has begun at Kambarka associated with construction of a facility for destruction of the bulk lewisite stored at that site, representing 15.9 percent by volume of Russia's total chemical weapon agent.
Air-delivered munitions, comprising some 53 per cent by volume of Russia's declared chemical weapon agenl and 5 per cent by number of its munitions, are stored at three sites: Leonidovka, Maradykovskiy and Pochep. They mainly contain the nerve agents Sarin, Soman and Vx. As part of its destruction programme, Russia plans to construct facilities at each of these three sites.
The remainder of the declared stockpile comprises artillery and rocket munitions stored at Kizner and Shchuch'ye. These comprise some 14.2 per cent and 13.6 per cent respectively by volume of Russia's declared chemical weapon agent, and 50 per cent and 45 per cent by number of munitions; they mainly contain the nerve agents Sarin, Soman and Vx. Russia plans to destroy the stocks from both Shchuch'ye and Kizner at the Shchuch'ye destruction facility.
Dates for the start of operations at facilities other than Gorny are not yet Firm, but the Chemical Weapons Convention requires that destruction of all chemical weapons must be completed no later than 29 April 2012.
10WAThe Government's current priority in this area is to provide support at Shchuch'ye. No decisions have been made whether to provide support at any ol her site at a later date.