Libya to destroy chemical weapons from today

Libya will start destroying its chemical weapons today as the small Arab state tries to win back the confidence of the United States and Europe after agreeing to pay damages over the 1988 Lockerbie plane bombing.

The Hague-based Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) yesterday that Libya would start destroying 3,300 unfilled bombs today.

OPCW inspectors will monitor the destruction which is planned to last until Friday. The OPCW said the unfilled bombs had been intended for delivering chemical weapons. An inspection team has arrived in Libya and will carry out an inventory of all munitions prior to the "irreversible" destruction.

By Friday, the OPCW will receive the remainder of a list from Libya and will then organise the destruction of all remaining chemical weapons and related facilities.

"This is a very positive step and a confirmation of Libya's intention to actually get rid of prohibited weapons, OPCW Director-General of the Technical Secretariat, Rogelio Pfirter, said in a statement.

"In a wider sense, one must see today's events as a confirmation of the validity and importance of multilateralism in the field of disarmament and the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction," he added.