MOSCOW, July 21 (RIA Novosti) - The Russian government will review proposals for the draft federal target program "Destruction of Chemical Weapon Stockpiles in the Russian Federation," Thursday.
Measures proposed by the Russian Energy Ministry include the construction of a new facility for the destruction of chemical weapons and agent detoxification products in Udmurtia (a federal republic in northeast European Russia); the construction of new chemical weapon destruction facilities in the Kirov region and in two regions in the Middle Volga region (Saratov and Penza); and a series of measures aimed at converting chemical weapon destruction facilities for industrial purposes.
Under the target program 40,000 tons of chemical weapons and 24
chemical weapons manufacturing facilities will be destroyed and seven new chemical weapon destruction facilities will be constructed.
The target program will run until 2012. The total amount of
program financing is estimated at $5.95 billion. The federal budget will allocate $5.58 billion, and foreign technical assistance is estimated at $365.6 million.
The implementation of the program will promote the development
of the industrial and social infrastructure in the regions where the facilities are located and will create more than 7,500 additional jobs. It is also envisaged that accommodation and public services for people living and working in these regions will be significantly improved with the construction of 125 apartment buildings, six schools and other public facilities.
