Libya denies having bought chemicals from South Africa

Libya has denied news reported by "imperialist circles" that it signed a contract with South Africa to buy military equipment, foremost chemical and germ weapons.

In a statement released in Tripoli on Tuesday, the secretariat of the people's foreign affairs committee said that such lies are intended to undermine the support expressed during the recent African summit to Libya, in which the African states stressed non-abidance by the embargo imposed on Libya as of the first of September.

The secretariat stressed that Libya does not import even traditional weapons, adding that it is not entitled to manufacture or own chemical weapons.

South Africa also denied the report, published in the British newspaper "Sunday Telegraph" which said that the transaction was approved by South Africa's president Nelson Mandela and that the deal would provide Libya with spare parts for "Mirage" airplanes.

The report said the two African states agreed upon a confidential transaction of half a billion dollars to provide Libya with weapons and spare parts in return for Libyan petroleum at a low price.

The spokesman for South Africa's Foreign Ministry said, "Such a transaction was not ratified."