The US Defense Department said in a statement it will not to able to liquidate 45 percent of its chemical stockpile by April 29, 2004, as required by the 1997 Chemical Weapons Convention.
"The US is therefore requesting the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) grant an extension of the 45% destruction deadline," the statement said.
The military is now expected to be ready to reach the required milestone by December 2007, the Pentagon said.
No detailed explanation for the postponement was given.
But the department pointed out that its chemical demilitarisation programme "has had several delays due to unresolved political and operational issues that forced operational shutdowns or postponed start-up dates". – Sapa-AFP.
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