COPENHAGEN—Denmark is sending a container vessel, a support ship and 200 staff members to an international operation to rid lawless Libya of its chemical weapons arsenal and ship them out of the country, Danish lawmakers decided Friday. In a 99-0 vote with 80 absentees, Denmark’s Folketing legislature decided Friday to send the contribution to the UN-backed Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). The operation would be led by Denmark, but other countries including Finland and Germany are expected to join, according to Denmark’s Foreign Ministry. It said Libya’s UN-brokered National Unity government in July handed over a formal request for international assistance to have the chemical weapons removed. OPCW Director-General Ahmet Uzumcu welcomed the vote saying it “helped Libya to live up to its commitments under the Chemical Weapons Convention” which requires that chemical weapons be destroyed.

Source: thestar August 19, 2016 14:48 UTC