23 April 2004 18:40
Over 38 tonnes of lewisite eliminated in Russian region
web site
Saratov, 23 April: Over 38 tonnes of lewisite had been eliminated at the Gornyy chemical weapons disposal facility in
Saratov Region as of Wednesday [21 April], yielding 227.14 tonnes of chemical agents, the Saratov information and
analytical centre for the safe storing and elimination of chemical weapons reported. The lewisite is being eliminated in
complete accordance with technical regulations, and the air in populated areas within the protected zone is being
monitored and is normal. The elimination procedure is being controlled by experts from the International Organization
for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. The Gornyy chemical weapons disposal facility was put into operation on 19
December 2002. By 2005, 1,142 tonnes of lewisite, mustard gas and mixtures of these gases are to be disposed of at the
site. The chemical agents obtained in the process are not qualified as chemical weapons and are comparable to ordinary
chemical waste from industrial enterprises.
[Interfax-AVN military news agency web site] |
RUSSIA IN FACTS
