Russia's chemical stockpile for WWIII to shrink

Thousands of tons of the chemical weapons, reportedly set aside for a contingency plan to fight the World War III, are to be rendered harmless in Russia.

On Friday, international officials attended the opening ceremony of the factory which is to remove and neutralize the lethal contents of the weapons, Reuters reported.

The facility, codenamed 'Unit 1027', can process Sarin, Soman and the most deadly nerve gas VX from both cannon shells and warheads.

The 5,500 tons of chemical weapons, however, is slightly above a fourth of what the country should rid itself of by 2012 - the deadline for a wholesale clear-out.

Moscow is criticized for its alleged lax cooperation with the Chemical Weapons Convention which came in effect in 1997; ten years after Russia ceased to produce the weaponry.

At the time of the treaty, the country had been found in possession of more than half of the world's 71,000 metric tons of deadly chemical agents.

It has, however, stepped up its efforts to dispose of the weapons and meet the limit.

Ex-US senator, Richard Lugar, who had joined the inauguration, said "the arsenals had been built to fight World War III," adding that "thankfully that confrontation never came but today we must ensure that the weapons are never used and never fall into the hands of those who would do harm to us or others."

Washington and the EU also reportedly chipped in to fund the facility.