Russia publishes WMD blacklist

MOSCOW: Russia published a list late Monday of countries and organizations suspected of being somehow implicated in the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD), a report said.

Fifty one countries and 1,152 organizations were included on the list, the RIA Novosti news agency reported without providing further details.

Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov was quoted by the agency as saying it was not a "blacklist", rather something that "all civilized countries" produced as a matter of course.

"This is not a blacklist. This is a list of organizations, with which ... we need to be particularly circumspect and cautious," said Ivanov, a close ally of President Vladimir Putin.

"All civilized countries establish such a list," Ivanov added.

He said Russia was also preparing a report detailing the activities of its exports control system to stem WMD proliferation, a particular concern for Russia since the collapse of the Soviet Union.

The report would also appraise the efforts of other countries and organizations in the non-proliferation effort, Ivanov said.

"We shall tell about our exports control system and will give an evaluation of the activities of various foreign organizations and countries in fighting this very serious threat," he said.

The report should be ready for July's G8 summit, which Russia will host in Saint Petersburg.

Russia has been accused of not doing enough to fight WMD proliferation, particularly in relation to its cooperation with Iran's nuclear energy programme.