OCSE-NATO workshop in Ukraine focuses on disposal of rocket fuel (07/24/05)

OCSE-NATO workshop in Ukraine focuses on disposal of rocket fuel

Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe

KYIV - Finding a comprehensive solution to the major threat to health and the environment posed by the toxic missile fuel component, commonly known as melange, was the focus of a joint workshop held in Kyiv by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and NATO.

During the three-day workshop, which ended on July 8, experts and representatives of countries facing this problem - Georgia, Armenia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan - shared information on its extent and on the best technologically and environmentally sound solutions.

Melange is a highly unstable missile fuel component that was used for rockets and guided missiles in the former Soviet Union. It is a very complex chemical substance whose components are extremely reactive, volatile and highly toxic. Thus, it urgently requires neutralization.

After the USSR's collapse, large stocks were left on the territory of its former republics. Many OSCE or NATO partner countries are unable to solve this problem alone due to the lack of necessary technical, material and financial resources. Therefore, international assistance is urgently needed.

"Melange disposal is a priority for us," said Ukraine's Vice Minister of Defense Volodymyr Tereshchenko, as he opened the workshop.

Dr. Chris De Wispelaere from the NATO Public Diplomacy Division said: "Bringing together so many specialists in melange in such a very short period of time illustrates that OSCE and NATO can indeed efficiently work together. I expect that this workshop will lead to a concrete joint OSCE-NATO work plan that will substantially contribute to melange conversion in all countries facing this threat to the environment."

During the workshop, a NATO Maintenance and Supply Agency (NAMSA) request for proposals for the provision of a mobile melange disposal plant was presented, and several companies discussed the best technologies available.

The head of the OSCE Office in Yerevan, Ambassador Vladimir Pryakhin, presented an OSCE-led project in Armenia to convert approximately 875 tons of melange into liquid fertilizer, which could be used as a management model for other regions.

The Environment and Security Initiative, or ENVSEC (a partnership of the United Nations Environment Programme [UNEP], the United Nations Development Programme [UNDP], NATO and the OSCE to tackle environmental risks to human security) was also presented as a model of inter-agency co-operation that could bring donors' attention to remediate this hazardous military legacy.

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