MOSCOW — The lower house of the Russian parliament voted overwhelmingly Friday to ratify an international treaty that bans the manufacture and storage of chemical weapons and commits Russia to destroying its huge stockpile--the world's largest--over the next decade.
By joining more than 80 other nations in ratifying the Chemical Weapons Convention, Russia will be agreeing to dispose of 40,000 tons of chemical weapons. The decision by the Communist-dominated Duma, which came on a 288-75 vote, was based not so much on foreign policy as on domestic need: Russia's aging chemical weapon stocks--some dating from the 1940s--are deteriorating and badly in need of disposal.
The Duma had put off a decision on the treaty for six months, largely because the government does not have the estimated $5 billion it will take to destroy its chemical weapons and production capability. The cost of destroying the chemical weapons will be prohibitive for the Russian government, which estimates that its revenues for all of next year will be less than $60 billion.
The major world powers have supported the ban on chemical arms because such weapons are risky to use and dangerous to store. In battle, shifting winds can blow toxic gases back on the soldiers using them. And when stored for long periods, the chemicals can leak and pollute the environment.
"The storage of chemical weapons cannot be endlessly safe, and little time is left before these weapons start leaking," Col. Gen. Anatoly Kvashnin, chief of the Russian Armed Forces General Staff, told the Duma. "This convention should not be a hostage of political interests when we are talking about the health and safety of the nation."
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By ratifying the treaty, Russia expects to receive at least $100 million in aid from the United States. But, at best, foreign aid will be enough to dispose of only 5% of the Russian stockpile, Duma member Yuri P. Shchekochikhin said.
"Finding the means to dispose of chemical weapons is going to be a tremendous problem for the Russian government," Shchekochikhin said. "But despite all the hardships, Russia did not have any other alternative. Chemical weapons have to be eliminated anyway."
The treaty, which took effect in April, must also be ratified by the upper house of parliament--the Federation Council--where it is expected to win broad support. In addition, President Boris N. Yeltsin, who favors the convention, must give his formal approval.
