WASHINGTON, Oct. 22 (Xinhuanet) -- The United States will help Albania eliminate some 16 tons of chemical agent left over from the Cold War, deputy spokesman of the State Department Adam Ereli said here on Friday.

    "Because Albania lacks the expertise and funding to do the destruction itself, we are working with Albania under the Cooperative Threat Reduction Program to provide assistance to determine how best to destroy this chemical agent and then to proceed forward with the destruction of it," Ereli told a news briefing.

    The US Defense Department, which is in charge of the Cooperative Threat Reduction Program, is sending a survey team in Albania to determine the project parameters, Ereli added.

    Albania is a signatory to the Chemical Weapons Convention, which is an arms control agreement that outlaws the production, stockpiling and use of chemical weapons. Enditem