No undeclared chemical weapons in Libya

The interim government in Libya says it is securing the country's remaining stockpiles of chemical weapons, an international arms control organization says. The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, based in The Hague, Netherlands, said the country's new leadership has not reported finding any weapons that had not been reported by Moammar Gadhafi's regime. "It is important for the OPCW that these stockpiles are secured and misuse is prevented, and ensuring this remains a national responsibility under the provisions of the Chemical Weapons Convention," said OPCW Director General Ahmet Uzumcu. "From this perspective we welcome the fact that Libyan authorities are taking necessary measures to secure the bunkers." OPCW inspectors were in the country until February, when the facility used to destroy chemical weapons malfunctioned. By that time, the Gadhafi government had destroyed 55 percent of its reported mustard gas and 40 percent of its precursor chemicals, along with all the 3,500 aerial bombs designed for chemical attacks. The chemical weapons are stored at a military facility about 400 miles from Tripoli, OPCW said. The remaining mustard gas could be destroyed in a month.