Canada bankrolls Libya arms cull

Libya will start destroying its stockpiles of mustard gas within months after Canada gave €4.5 million (£2.7m) to weapons watchdog the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, the group said yesterday.

Munitions stockpiles remain largely unguarded in Libya following last year’s toppling of Colonel Muammar al-Gaddafi, but chemical weapons are believed more secure.

Canada’s contribution to OPCW will be used to reopen facilities in Ruwagha, about 400 miles from Tripoli, a spokesman said. The donation is the largest in OPCW history.