Written question asked by Lord Campbell of Pittenweem (Liberal Democrat) on Friday, 6 March 1998, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 16 March 1998. It was answered by Tony Lloyd (Labour) on Monday, 16 March 1998 on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what is the cost of disposing of Russian chemical weapons stocks; and how much of that cost in (a) cash terms and (b) as a percentage of the total will be covered by (i) the UK, (ii) France, (iii) Germany, (iv) the USA and (v) Japan.

Answer: Mr. Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the cost of disposing of Russian chemical weapons stocks; and how much of that cost in (a) cash terms and (b) as a percentage of the total will be covered by (i) the UK, (ii) France, (iii) Germany, (iv) the USA and (v) Japan. [33941] Mr. Tony Lloyd: The Chemical Weapons Convention makes clear that the responsibility for chemical weapons destruction rests with the possessor state. Without prejudice to this principle, the EU has pledged up to 15 million ECU of TACIS (Technical Assistance to the Commonwealth of Independent States) funding for projects in chemical weapon destruction-related areas. A number of countries have also offered bilateral assistance, including the United States, Germany, the Netherlands, Finland and Sweden. We do not have precise or detailed figures for those countries' offers of assistance, but the total amount of foreign (non-Russian) assistance so far represents only a small proportion of the overall costs-- estimated by Russia at more than US$4 billion.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: 33941; 308 c472W
Session: 1997-98
Subjects: Costs Contributions Chemical weapons International assistance Germany France Japan United Kingdom USA Russia Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons