Libya rejects Israeli accusations on mass destruction weapons

Libya on Thursday rejected Israeli claims that Tripoli seeks to own mass destructive weapons, noting that Israel which has nuclear weapons has to destroy its arsenals before making such accusations against others.

The Libyan minister for African unity affairs Ali Abdul Salaam al-Tureiki said on the sideline of the works of the meetings of the Arab foreign ministers in Cairo that "Israel is the only country in the Middle East which owns mass destruction weapons. Libya does not have such weapons and does not want it, rather seeks to get it out of the whole region."

Al-Tureiki's statement came following TV talks by the Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon in which he said that Iraq and North Korea and may be Pakistan, are helping Libya to develop new weapons. Sharon noted a likely Saudi Arabian financing for such projects.

Al- Tureiki said "If Sharon is sincere ( in dismantling destruction weapons), let him agree to dismantling his nuclear arsenal first and then start talking about others."