India among 3 countries which have destroyed chemical weapon stock piles

One of the world’s leading think-tank on weapons and global arms race says that over 15,000 tonnes of chemical weapons are lying stockpiled across the globe.

As of 31 October 2012, Iraq, Libya, Russia and the USA are yet to complete destruction of their chemical weapon stock piles.

Swedish arms watchdog Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) has warned that around 54,258 tonnes (78%) of the most lethal chemical weapons had been destroyed. Around 13 states had declared 70 former chemical production facilities. Around 43 of these facilities had been destroyed and 21 converted to peaceful purposes.

The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), however, has confirmed that India is among the seven states that have declared chemical weapon stockpiles. This includes Albania, India, Iraq, South Korea, Libya, Russia and the United States. In fact, Albania, India and South Korea are the only three countries which have destroyed their stockpiles, according to the OPCW.

The deadline for the final destruction of chemical weapons under the 1993 Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) passed on 29 April 2012.

As of December 31, 188 states had ratified or acceded to the convention.

According to SIPRI, as of November 2012 Libya had destroyed 13.5 tonnes (51% of its declared 26 tonnes) of category 1 sulphur mustard chemical weapons.

As of the same date, it had destroyed 555.7 tonnes (40%) of its category 2 chemical weapons.

The current schedule for Libya is to complete the destruction of category 1 chemical weapons by 31 December 2013, and category 2 chemical weapons by 31 December 2016.

Libya will employ a static detonation chamber technology for destruction of the previously undeclared chemical munitions and will hydrolyse the sulphur mustard.

Canada announced that it would provide 6 million Canadian dollars ($5.9 million) to support Libya’s programme – the largest voluntary offer by a party to the convention since its entry into force in 1997.

As of November 2012 Russia had destroyed 27653 tonnes (61%) of its declared category 1 chemical weapons and all of its category 2 and 3 chemical weapons. It plans to complete destruction of its stockpile by December 2015.

In 2012, four chemical weapon destruction facilities were operating at Leonidovka, Maradykovsky, Pochep and Shchuchye (operations have been completed at Gorny and Kambarka).

Till November 2012, USA had destroyed 24924 tonnes (90%) of its declared category 1 chemical weapons.