Disputes slow arms protection in Russia

Posted 12/13/2004 11:38 PM

Disputes slow arms protection in Russia

By Peter Eisler, USA TODAY
WASHINGTON — U.S. programs to help Russia protect and destroy its nuclear, chemical and biological weapons are far behind schedule, despite President Bush's warning this fall that terrorists getting such weapons is "the biggest threat facing this country."
A half-billion dollars set aside by Congress in the past two years to secure or scrap Russian weapons sits unspent, a USA TODAY review of figures provided by program managers finds. Federal audits released in the past 18 months show hundreds of millions more have gone to ineffective projects.
The delays in safeguarding the stockpiles stem largely from disputes between the United States and Russia over how much access Americans need to inspect Russian weapons sites and verify that U.S. aid is spent properly. The U.S. government also has had trouble reaching binding agreements with Russia on how to manage U.S.-funded storage and disposal facilities — and who will be liable if one has an accident. (Related story: Renewal of deal in doubt)
"The window of cooperation seems to be closing," says Laura Holgate, a former Pentagon and Energy department official now with the Nuclear Threat Initiative, a group that supports non-proliferation efforts. "Our No. 1 threat is being held hostage to lesser concerns."
The assistance programs, managed by the departments of Defense and Energy, were set up in 1991 to safeguard and eliminate weapons of mass destruction in former Soviet states. But Russia has grown resistant to efforts it fears could undermine its sovereignty.
"We're seeing an increased emphasis by the Russians on protecting national secrets," says Paul Longsworth of the Energy Department's National Nuclear Security Administration.
Vladimir Yermakov, a senior counselor at the Russian Embassy, says some U.S. demands can be excessive. "You provide (assistance) on your terms and we take it on our terms. We are trying to marry the two."
The stakes are high: The U.S.-Russian pact governing the programs expires in June 2006, and the liability and access disputes could scuttle efforts to renew it.
Despite the snags, the Pentagon and the Energy Department say the programs have made progress. For example, 6,472 nuclear warheads have been destroyed, including the entire arsenals that Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan inherited from the Soviets.
But progress is getting more elusive as the agencies turn to remaining stocks of nuclear, chemical and biological materials at Russia's more sensitive defense sites. Some examples:
• The Energy Department is behind schedule in upgrading protections on 600 tons of nuclear material at 115 Russian sites. At its current rate, the project could miss its 2008 deadline by two years. Longsworth insists that access disputes will be settled, and the department will be able to meet its goal.
• The Pentagon has been refused access to several Russian labs targeted for security upgrades to protect biological warfare materials. In a statement, the Pentagon said it won't fund the work unless it can verify that U.S. aid "is being used for its intended purposes."
• Delays in building a U.S.-financed chemical weapons disposal plant in Schuchye, Russia, make it unlikely that the country will meet treaty deadlines for destroying the weapons. Russia failed to meet Pentagon demands this year for a plan for the plant's use.