PUBLIC FORUM

The Convention on a ban on the development, production, accumulation and use of chemical weapons signed in 1993 is a very important international agreement.

Russia is the world's largest owner of weapons of mass destruction.

While facing serious economic and social-economic difficulties, Russia not only admitted the possession of chemical weapons, but also announced that they will not be used for military conflicts and even showed the willingness to destroy them.

Although this solution demands huge financial and material resources, Russia ratified the Convention on the ban of the development, production, accumulation and use of chemical weapons. The issue of safe destruction of the chemical weapons attracts international attention from public movements, politicians, militaries, scientists, experts, and citizens of all social groups and ages concerned with chemical weapons stockpiling.

Some preliminary works to design facilities to destroy chemical weapons in regions of Russia showed that the majority of the population understands that there are no alternatives to the chemical weapons destruction.

At the same time the Forum participants outlined the following:

• the problem of the chemical weapons destruction is of vital interest to a large number of citizens, but is still not a subject of concern to the Russian Government and federal authorities who are responsible for the implementation of the Federal Program "The chemical weapons stockpiles destruction in the Russian Federation";
• the present situation with financing the Program and the progress of the works is not satisfactory. The schedule of the Program implementation is not even at the first stage. The very weak advancement in one of the priority directions - social infrastructure - is of particular concern;
• so far, the necessary legislative base of the process of the chemical weapons destruction and the population safety is not formed, that impedes the fulfillment of a number of practical works,
• mass media does not pay enough attention to this urgent problem, and describes the works being done with prejudice, weakly reflecting activities of governmental institutions and public organizations in this direction.

The Forum participants are frustrated about the financing of the destruction of chemical weapons at the first stage.

The Forum insistently demands:

• from the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation: to accelerate the financing of the legislative base formation, which will provide the legal and social protection of the population living in the areas of chemical weapons stockpiling;
• from the Government of the Russian Federation: to bind relevant ministries and departments to provide a strict fulfillment of the Federal Program "The chemical weapons stockpiles destruction in the Russian Federation";
• from the Government of the Russian Federation: as the funds necessary for the chemical weapons destruction are huge and in sight of the complicated economic situation in Russia to work out a mechanism of involving non-budget financial sources and technical assistance of foreign countries, commercial banks, public organizations.

The Forum participants think that the safe destruction of the chemical weapons accumulated during the Cold War remains one of the most important concerns to provide security for the population and the sustainable development of the world society.

The Forum participants stress the fact that the chemical weapons destruction is a very complicated scientific, technical, social and economic task, and priorities should be given, first of all, to the population safety and environment protection.

The Forum participants unanimously consider that only open and close collaboration of scientists and experts, militaries, politicians and public movements aiming at a constructive dialogue can promote working out optimal decisions of the chemical weapons destruction.

The Forum participants approved the Appeal of Public Organizations, in connection with the first anniversary of the ratification of the Convention of the ban of the development, production, accumulation, destruction, and use of chemical weapons by Russia, and are ready to use all available forces and possibilities to invest in the fulfillment of international obligations of Russia on chemical disarmament.

The Forum participants considered that similar events devoted to anniversaries of the Convention ratification will promote consolidation of efforts of all public and governmental organizations in the chemical weapons destruction.

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