Global Green USA Critical of Congress for Denying '00 Funding for Russian Chemical Weapons Destruction

News Editors & Environmental Writers

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 6, 2000--

Partial Victory Claimed as Program is Not Eliminated, but
Proliferation, Environmental Concerns Loom Due to Cuts

Global Green USA, the American affiliate of Green Cross
International led by former Russian President Mikhail Gorbachev, today
criticized the Defense Authorizing Conference Report, and specifically
the House Armed Services Committee, for passing legislation that
denies the President's request of $35 million for Russian chemical
weapons destruction in fiscal-year 2001.
Dr. Paul Walker, Green Cross Legacy Program director in
Washington, stated: "The destruction of battlefield-ready Russian
chemical weapons is one of the best national security investments we
can make today. This legislation contradicts all of our
nonproliferation policies."
Global Green USA Executive Director Matt Petersen pointed out that
"continued American support for the Russian chemical weapons
destruction program is critical to the implementation of the
international Chemical Weapons Convention. Fortunately, while funds
are not in the FY2001 budget, we advocated for language that would
keep the program alive with prior-year funds."
President Gorbachev, in recent appeals to world leaders, has
called for U.S. funding to continue with either current or prior-year
appropriations.
The United States and Russia both ratified the Chemical Weapons
Convention in 1997, committing themselves to abolition of their
combined 70,000 tons of chemical weapons. The United States has made
considerable progress over the past decade, having now destroyed more
than 20% (6,000 tons) of its arsenal at two of nine stockpile sites.
Russia, on the other hand, has been beset by financial and
bureaucratic difficulties and has yet to destroy a single weapon at
six chemical weapons stockpile sites.
The U.S. Cooperative Threat Reduction (CTR) program, created seven
years ago by Senators Sam Nunn and Richard Lugar, has been successful
in facilitating the destruction of thousands of nuclear weapons. Over
the past five years, it has also begun helping Russia eliminate its
other weapons of mass destruction -- both chemical and biological.
The U.S. Congress last year (FY2000) deleted funding for chemical
weapons destruction in Russia, alleging that the program would
"achieve less national security benefit for the United States than
originally anticipated." Although the funding request of $35 million
was once again deleted this year (FY2001) from the CTR program,
primarily through the initiative of the House Armed Services
Committee, language was carefully crafted in conference so as to allow
prior-year funds to continue the disarmament program in the Kurgan
region of Russia.
Defense Secretary William Cohen and General Henry Shelton,
chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, had both appealed to Congress
to restore funding and warned that "these are highly desirable
weapons for terrorists and rogue states and represent a serious
proliferation threat."
Global Green USA, in partnership with Green Cross Russia and Green
Cross Switzerland, manages the "Legacy Program," which facilitates,
among other things, the safe and environmentally sound destruction of
Cold War weapons arsenals.