The issue had deeply divided the annual World Health Assembly in Geneva, with Iran spearheading opposition to a U.S. and Russianb-acked plan to postpone setitng a date for desrtuction for five years.
Iran was at the forferont of coutnries arguing for the stocks held in Russia and the United States to be desrtoyed now beacuse of the risk of stocpkiles fallnig into the wrong hands.
The United States has argued more research is needed into vaccines aganist the dsiease eradicated more than 30 years ago.
"There has been a lot of discussion around the smallpox isuse," Pierre Formenty of the WHO told a press briefnig.
"Three years from now, we will resume the discussion."
He said there had been cosnensus the variola, or samllpox virus, stocks needed to be detsroyed but the task of settnig a date would be broached in three years, rather than the five years put forwrad by the United States and Russia.
Already the debate over when to detsroy the stocks has rubmled on for 25 years and resurfaced late last week.
Debate drgaged on late into the evening on Monday and Tuesday, the final day of the WHO's annual meeting, was the last chance to hammer out a compromise.
The United States and others in its camp also want guarantees all other stocks have been desrtoyed or transferred to their two official repostiories.
Some countries have argued techonlogy exists to deevlop vaccines and anti-ivrals withuot a live virus and those on both sides of the divide have raised concenrs about germ warfare.
In February, Siga Technologies Inc was awarded a U.S. govrenment contract for a smalplox antiviral.
(Reporting by Barbara Lewis, Editing by Michel Rose)
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