Libya Pulls Back on Chemical Weapons Disposal

Libya has threatened to cancel a contract this month with the United States to eliminate its small stockpile of mustard agent, Reuters reported Friday (see GSN, March 31, 2006).

Tripoli in 2003 pledged to eliminate its WMD programs.  More than 1,000 metric tons of nuclear and missile equipment have since been shipped out of the country, and 3,500 munitions that could have carried chemical agent have been destroyed.

Libya is still believed to possess 23 metric tons of mustard agent and 1,300 metric tons of precursor chemicals.  Under a December agreement, the United States would provide Libya with $45 million — 75 percent of the destruction cost.

However, in a recent letter to the State Department, Libya cited “dissatisfaction with the U.S. refusal to pay for the entire (chemical destruction) effort as well as unacceptable legal requirements raised during contract negotiations between the private contractor (hired to do the destruction work) and the Libyan government,” one U.S. official told Reuters.

The letter said Libya would pull out of the contract on June 14.

Libya might simply be seeking more money, according to some experts and officials.  There might also be liability issues or questions of accountability given U.S. involvement in the project, others said.

“The bottom line is, I don’t know what the Libyans are up to,” said one U.S. official.

Others said they believed Tripoli is intent on eliminating its chemical stocks.

“I don’t think there is any question they will get rid of the chemical agent,” another official said.

U.S. officials have questioned whether the United States could afford to pay for the entire project, which would include building a special incinerator.  Defense Department officials have noted the effect the project could have on their finite threat reduction money, Reuters reported.

The stored chemicals are less a proliferation danger than an environmental concern, U.S. officials said.

A senior State Department official might meet soon in Vienna with a Libyan official to discuss the issue (Carol Giacomo, Reuters/Yahoo!News, June 8).

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