U.S. Seeks Delay in Nuclear Timeline

[Judi Lynn]

U.S. Seeks Delay in Nuclear Timeline
Wed Sep 3, 6:44 PM ET
By ROBERT BURNS, AP Military Writer

WASHINGTON - The United States said Wednesday it will not meet an April 2004 deadline for destroying 45 percent of its chemical weapons stockpile. The Pentagon (news - web sites) said it has asked the world body that governs the destruction requirement for a delay until December 2007.



The United States has destroyed about 23 percent of its declared stockpile of 31,280 tons of mustard gas, sarin and other chemical weapons. Environmental, safety and other problems at high-temperature incinerators have made it impossible to meet the 2004 deadline, the Pentagon said.


In line with provisions of the Chemical Weapons Convention of 1997, the United States submitted its request for more time to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.


The Chemical Weapons Convention was the first treaty in history requiring elimination of an entire class of weapons under a timetable and under oversight of international inspectors. The vast majority of nations — 153 — are treaty members, but significant gaps exist, especially in the Middle East, where Israel, Egypt and other Arab states have failed to ratify it. (snip/...)

~~~~ link ~~~~

[muriel_volestrangler]

1. In fact, it's all about chemical, not nuclear

I know it's not your headline, but the entire article is about chemical weapons, and makes no mention of nuclear weapons at all. What kind of editing do they do on that site?

[Spentastic]

2. Shit!

The U.S has WMD and a demonstrably mentally unstable leader. Quick someone invade!

Oh. I forgot we only do that to brown people.

[Devils Advocate NZ]

3. Gotta love it!

The amount of weapons being talked about are similar to the amounts Bush said that Iraq had. Now, get this, they are saying it will take a decade (or more) to destroy these weapons even though they are the richest most powerful nation on Earth, yet they went apeshit that Iraq didn't disarm in around the same amount of time?

And then guess what? It turns out, that unless the original figures were total bullshit, they DID! Iraq was better at disarming than the US!

Gotta love the irony.

[NNN0LHI]

4. But yet Saddam destroyed all of his just days before the US invaded...

...according to our fearless leaders. Thats why they can't find them they say.

Don