MOSCOW, Nov 6: Russia ratified the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) yesterday, obliging Moscow to destroy its huge arsenals and convert production plants to peaceful uses within decade.

The ratification, signed by President Boris Yeltsin, was delivered to UN headquarters in New York late on Wednesday after the Russian Federation Council (Upper House of Parliament) approved it earlier in the day.

The Duma (Lower House) had approved the ratification on October 31.

It has the world's largest arsenal of chemical weapons - 40,000 tonnes - followed by the United States with some 30,000 tonnes.

Russia had to ratify the convention by Wednesday in order to participate at a conference on chemical weapons in the first week of December in The Hague.The collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 officially brought an end to Russia's production of chemical weapons, although the British journal Jane's Defence Weekly stated in April that Russian scientists were still trying to develop new weapons.

``I warmly welcome the action by the Russian Government today in ratifying the Chemical Weapons Convention,'' US President Bill Clinton said in a written statement from Washington soon after.

``The measure fully corresponds to the interests of Russia and the stability of the whole world,'' Foreign Minister Yevgen Primakov said after the vote in the Federation Council.

``We have much stronger deterrents,'' he told reporters. ``As far as economics are concerned, if we didn't join the convention we'd still have to spend about $30 billion to destroy chemical weapons that are already old or getting old.''

As per the convention, Russia will have to spend $ 25 million over the next 10 years on destroying chemical weapons. Moscow will also have to contribute $ 80 million to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), officials said.

``If this vote didn't occur, then there would be no finance for this,'' Defence Minister Igor Sergeyev told reporters. ``But they have approved it, giving a guarantee of funding for the government and the president.''

A member of the Federation Council's international relations committee, Mikhail Prussak, said Russia did not have enough money to even maintain its stock, which alone will cost $ 250 million over the next 10 years.

The Russian government said it would spend 50 billion rubles (833 million dollars), mostly foreign money, in 1998 to begin the destruction of its chemical weapons. According to official estimates, the destruction of Russian stockpiles will cost 5.5 billion dollars - a heavy expense which contributed to Parliament's long delay over ratification.

Till date 104 nations including the US, have ratified the CWC, which outlaws development, production, possession and use of chemical weapons.

Signatories must destroy their chemical weapons and production plants within 10 years and provide detailed information about the production and export of listed chemical which could be used to make them.They are also obliged to open their chemical plants to the international inspections.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.