This article has been submitted to The World of Parliaments by Senator Richard Lugar, Chairman of the United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. As an expression of parliamentary initiative and action for world peace and greater international security, it will also be submitted as a contribution to the 111th Statutory Assembly of the IPU and the debate in its First Standing Committee on The role of parliaments in strengthening multilateral regimes for non-proliferation of weapons and for disarmament, in the light of new security challenges.

The greatest threat to global security is the potential nexus of weapons of mass destruction (wmd) and a terrorist cell obtaining them

by Richard G. Lugar
Chairman, United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations

We must make certain that all sources of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) in the world are identified and systematically guarded or destroyed. We have taken important steps in this regard, and scored some important victories. Much more needs to be done.

To combat the WMD threat in the former Soviet Union, in 1991 the United States began implementing the Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction Programme. Nunn-Lugar has devoted American technical expertise and money for joint efforts to safeguard and destroy materials and weapons of mass destruction. During the first ten years of Nunn-Lugar, 6,212 former Soviet nuclear warheads were separated from missiles. Many of the warheads have been dismantled, with their fissile material safely stored. In addition, the programme has destroyed 520 intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs); 451 ICBM silos; 122 strategic bombers; 624 nuclear air-launched cruise missiles; 445 submarine launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs); 408 SLBM launchers; 27 strategic missile submarines; and 194 nuclear test tunnels. Perhaps most importantly, Ukraine, Belarus and Kazakhstan are now nuclear weapons-free countries as a result of cooperative efforts undertaken under the Nunn-Lugar programme.

Nunn-Lugar has also worked to contain chemical and biological weapons in Russia. At least forty thousand metric tons of chemical weapons have been stored in seven locations awaiting destruction. This will take place at a facility in a town called Shchuchye, in Siberia.

Under the Global Partnership Against the Spread of Weapons and Materials of Mass Destruction, G-8 leaders have pledged $20 billion over the next ten years for non-proliferation projects, an initiative known as "ten plus ten over ten." Of this amount, a significant portion has been identified for chemical weapons destruction at Shchuchye.

Earlier this year, I hosted a meeting in Washington on the work to be done at Shchuchye. I convened representatives from the Russian Federation, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Norway, Canada, Italy, Switzerland and the Czech Republic to discuss our cooperative efforts to rid the world of the largest stockpile of chemical weapons.

I first visited Shchuchye during one of my regular Nunn-Lugar inspection tours, in 2001. I was shown a weapons depot where close to 2 million artillery shells of nerve gas were stored on wooden shelves like bottles of wine. A Russian soldier photographed me placing one of the shells in a briefcase to display how easily these weapons could be smuggled.

The international chemical weapons destruction and clean-up project at Shchuchye is a monumental undertaking. More than 100 buildings will be constructed at the site. Since the town originally lacked most modern facilities, the project includes water and electricity stations and housing for the more than 150 United States, Russian and other experts, who will destroy 32,500 metric tons of artillery shells and bombs filled with sarin, soman, and VX.

In addition to these governmental funds, the Nuclear Threat Initiative, headed by former Senator Sam Nunn, is making a $1 million investment in activities at Shchuchye. Green Cross International, the non-governmental organisation headed by former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev, is also involved; it has a civil society project designed to build local support for the clean-up and destruction operations.

The experience of the Nunn-Lugar programme in the Russian Federation has demonstrated that the threat of weapons of mass destruction can lead to extraordinary outcomes based on mutual interest. No one would have predicted in the 1980s that American contractors and Pentagon officials would be on the ground in the Russian Federation destroying thousands of strategic systems. If we are to protect ourselves during this incredibly dangerous period, we must create new non-proliferation partnerships and aggressively pursue any non-proliferation opportunities that appear.

In addition to the Russian and United States contributions to the Shchuchye disarmament project, other countries are also helping:

Canada
In May 2003, Canada announced its commitment of up to $240 million for the destruction of Russian chemical weapons, including those at Shchuchye. Most recently, Canada announced its commitment of 33 million Canadian dollars for an 18-kilometer railway which will transport chemical munitions in a safe and secure manner from the storage bunkers at Shchuchye to the dismantlement facility;

The Czech Republic
has committed $69,000 for infrastructure at Shchuchye;

The European Union
has committed $2.3 million for infrastructure at Shchuchye;

Italy
From 2001 to 2003, Italy provided $7.15 million for infrastructure at Shchuchye. In 2003, Italy committed an additional $5.75 million to the project;

Norway
committed $2.3 million for infrastructure at Shchuchye;

Switzerland
committed 17 million Swiss francs to the Russian chemical weapons destruction programme over six years, beginning in late 2003. The Swiss Government has indicated that it will contribute a portion of these resources to the work at Shchuchye;

The United Kingdom
Since 2001, the United Kingdom has committed $18 million for activities in Shchuchye, over three years. In May 2003, the United Kingdom announced its intention to provide up to $100 million over ten years for the work at Shchuchye.