U.S., Russia lagging in destroying own chemical weapons amidst Syria clamour

The United States, who has been pressurizing Syria to destroy its chemical weapons stockpiles, has been lagging behind in the process of getting rid of its own chemical weapons due to high costs involved.

The Obama administration possesses some 3,000 metric tons of chemical weapons, the Washington Times reports.

Although 90 percent of the stockpile declared by Washington upon signing the weapons ban in 1993 has been destroyed, efforts to neutralize the remaining munitions have slowed down in recent years.

According to a November report by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, Russia also has destroyed 60 percent of its declared stockpile, but still has some 16,000 metric tons left to be neutralized.

Some weapons analysts said that financial, logistical and environmental burdens that have come to be associated with the process have slowed down the process.

They further added that similar reasons might also hurdle the process in Syria.

The U.S. and Russian failures to meet deadlines of the Chemical Weapons Convention may serve as cover for Israel, which signed the treaty in 1993, but has never ratified it.