Libya and UN to cooperate on disposing harmful material from western region

Libyan government officials and a United Nations team on Thursday met and discussed a program to dispose liquid fuel and oxidizing materials in two locations in western Libya.

According to Libya’s official news agency, the meeting took place in the city of Gharyan, some 90 km southwest of the capital Tripoli, where the liquid fuel is stored.

The meeting discussed steps to be implemented at the site to dispose the materials in an environmentally-friendly manner.

Following the meeting, the UN and the Libyan officials visited the sites. “This visit comes within a series of visits by the Air Force Command to these sites to make final arrangements with Gharyan municipal council to dispose these substances, given their danger to the people and the environment,” said Abdulbasset Jred, the Libyan Air Force commander.

A UN report said that nearly 600 tons of oxidizing materials and liquid rocket fuel were collected from air force camps throughout Libya for storage in two sites near Gharyan, raising local residents’ concerns about the danger of these materials.