Letter: Russians are not reducing arms

Tuesday, Sept. 21, 2004 | 9:15 a.m.

Russia agreed, under the Chemical Weapons Convention, to destroy its declared stockpile of more than 40,000 metric tons of chemical weapons. The New York-based Council on Foreign Relations insisted that this only could be done if the U.S. provided massive financial aid to help the Russians with this effort.

The U.S. responded, providing more than $1.5 billion in aid. But, according to Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, Russia has destroyed only slightly more than 1 percent of its stockpile and "has no credible plan for destroying the remainder of its nerve gas stockpile."

According to Hunter, while U.S. taxpayers have been pouring huge sums into this phony WMD destruction program, "Russia has spent billions more on new long-range missiles, advanced nuclear warheads, ballistic missile submarines and massive underground bunkers, as well as secret biological and chemical weapon programs."

All of this deadly deception has been going on with the full knowledge and connivance of -- and cover-up by -- top officials in the former Clinton administration and the current Bush administration, including former President Clinton and current President Bush.

I think this is not just happening because of bungling ineptitude, negligence, misguided idealism or other "plausible" explanations.

FRANK PELTESON

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