Russia's President's Plenipotentiary: USD 20 Billion to Dispose of Russia's Chemical Weapons Is President's Personal Victory

Sergei Kiriyenko, Russia's President's Plenipotentiary in the Privolzhsky Federal District, stated that the signing of the agreement concerning USD 20 billion for Russia to dispose of chemical weapons had been the President's personal victory. Mr. Kirienko is chairman of the federal commission for the destruction of the weapons. This statement following the G8 summit in Kananaskis, Canada, was released by Mr. Kirienko's press service on June 28.

Sergei Kirienko further said, USD 20 billion or not, it was too early for Russia to relax. 'With or without the money, no one is going to dispose of chemical weapons for us', as the statement goes, 'so we are in for an awful lot of work over the following decade. This must be done while strictly controlling safety and the spending of both our budgetary money and that we receive from elsewhere.

Of the USD 20 billion the G8 countries allocate for the purpose, USD 10 billion will come from the US and as much from the other members and the European Union.