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WHY: Both the
U.S. and Russia are mandated under the 1997-ratified Chemical Weapons Convention
to abolish their 70,000+ tons of chemical weapons over the coming decade.
Late April marked the second anniversary of U.S. CWC ratification. Although
CWC ratification garnered major attention and support in Washington, DC,
and was a long and hard fought political battle, the implementation of this
historic abolition treaty remains challenging. This Capitol Hill briefing
will afford a two-year review and evaluation of Russian and American progress,
including Nunn-Lugar support for Russian CW abolition, alternative destruction
technology R&D, and the U.S. "baseline" incinerator program.
It will also be timely in light of the FY 2000 budget cycle, the Administration's
proposed expansion of the Cooperative Threat Reduction support to Russia,
and recent heightened awareness of the proliferation threat of chemical
weapons. |