It is a great pleasure to welcome you here today to witness the signing of this Memorandum of Understanding between Canada and the United Kingdom on co-operation to support Russia in destroying its chemical weapons stocks. This occasion is particularly gratifying for me personally. Before coming to Moscow in September, I served as Canada's Ambassador for Disarmament. Too seldom during my four years in Geneva did I have an opportunity to mark such practical disarmament progress as today's.

The destruction of Russia's chemical weapons is a Russian responsibility -- a responsibility that Moscow, under the leadership of Director General Kholstov is taking very seriously. But Russian Chemical weapons destruction is also a matter of international concern. So long as a single chemical munition remains, the possibility exists that terrorists, or those that harbour them, will get their hands on it. And we know they would use it.

The imperative of denying terrorist groups chemical and other weapons of mass destruction spawned the Global Partnership Against the Spread of Weapons and Materials of Mass Destruction.

Under the Canada-UK agreement, which is a part of that Partnership, Canada has committed to provide up to $33 million to the United Kingdom for construction of an 18km railway at the chemical weapons destruction facility near Shchuch'ye in Kurgan Oblast.

Canada and the UK are by no means alone in this. Many states are committed to providing support to Russia to help destroy its chemical weapons stocks, including the United States, Germany, France ,Italy, Finland, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland as well as the European Union.

It is very fitting that Canadian funds will be used to build the railway at Shchuch'ye. For Canada, at our founding, in the late 19th century, a transcontinental railway from East to West was the "national dream". We think the Shchuch'ye railway will help us all realise an international dream - to rid the world of the scourge of chemical weapons.

I thank you all for being with us today to mark this major step in the progress of our partnership.