Chemical Weapons Plant in Libya Called ‘Ominous’ by U.S. Official

Libya is building a plant that a Reagan Administration official said Thursday could be used to manufacture chemical weapons.

“We’re worried,” the official said. “They (chemical weapons) can be produced anywhere in the Third World and are hard to verify.”

The United States has no diplomatic relations with Libya and has imposed a ban on trade with the North African country. The official urged other countries to refrain from providing Libya with materials that could be used to make chemical weapons.

Construction of the plant has concerned the U.S. government for some time. Unlike nuclear weapons, chemical weapons are relatively easy to manufacture and very difficult to control.

The official, who demanded anonymity, said Libya was only one of several countries the United States was concerned about. He called the plant construction “ominous.”

“I don’t have anything new or specific on those reports,” Phyllis Oakley, a State Department spokeswoman, said.

Libya is led by Col. Moammar Kadafi, an erratic leader accused by the State Department of promoting terrorism. In September, Chad accused Libya of using chemical weapons against its troops.