Israel Matzav

Former Libyan Justice Minister: Gadhafi has chem and bio weapons and won't hesitate to use them

Mustafa Abdel Galil, who resigned three days ago from his post as the country's justice minister, spoke to Al Jazeera at a meeting of tribal leaders and representatives of eastern Libya in the city of Al Baida.

He warned that Gaddafi has biological and chemical weapons, and will not hesitate to use them against civilians, particularly in the case of the capital.

"We call on the international community and the UN to prevent Gaddafi from going on with his plans in Tripoli," he said.

"At the end when he's really pressured, he can do anything. I think Gaddafi will burn everything left behind him," he warned.

Gaddafi opened his weapons stockpiles to international inspection and is known to have stockpiles of 9.5 metric tonnes of mustard gas. His government has reportedly destroyed 50 per cent of its chemical weapons cache.

In 2003 soon after the toppling of Saddam Hussein in Iraq, Libya agreed to dismantle its nuclear and chemical weapons programmes.

In return, the Bush administration resumed diplomatic relations and lifted economic sanctions.

The next year, Libya destroyed 3,300 unloaded aerial bombs used to disperse mustard gas and other chemical agents.

But disputes between Washington and Tripoli over funding and logistics have delayed plans to eradicate Libya's chemical agents, as well as its chemical weapons production facility.

Libya was to have destroyed all 23 metric tonnes of mustard gas by the end of 2010, according to the Hague-based Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons OPCW). It was granted an extension until May 2011 and is known to have a remaining 9.5 metric tonnes of mustard gas.

The Obama administration is working to maintain security of the materials, Tommy Vietor, the US National Security Council spokesperson, said.

"We have continued to urge the Libyans to safely complete destruction of their remaining chemical weapons agent as quickly as possible. As part of that process, the Libyans have taken appropriate steps to secure their [chemical weapons] from unauthorised access," he said on Thursday.

Labels: Muammar Gaddafi, weapons of mass destruction

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 11:25 AM