Libya's Justice Secretariat has opened an inquiry into this week's fire at the Rabta plant, which is described by the United States as a chemical weapons factory, a Libyan official said Friday.
Only the ministry will be authorized to release information about the fire, he told Reuters by telephone from Tripoli. The fire broke out Wednesday, and diplomats said it caused extensive damage to at least one building.The Libyan authorities have not accused anyone of arson, but revolutionary leader Moammar Gaddafi said Thursday that West German business interests in Libya would suffer if the inquiry found evidence that West German intelligence was involved.
Libya says the plant, 50 miles southwest of Tripoli, is to produce pharmaceuticals and if it planned to produce chemical weapons, it would do so openly.
Diplomats in Tripoli said Friday they had received no new information since a Libyan Foreign Ministry official told them Thursday the fire had been put out and no one was injured. Other Libyan officials have described the fire as serious and said at least two people were killed.
The White House said Thursday the damage was extensive and the factory was probably out of action.
Tripoli was calm Friday after about 1,000 demonstrators protested outside the West German Embassy. "Get out of our country, you lying spies," and "Germans are spies," demonstrators shouted. Police protected the embassy and the crowd dispersed without violence.
West Germany has denied any involvement in the fire. Israel and the United States, Libya's traditional enemies, issued similar denials.
West German technicians have continued to play a role in the project, despite legal action against several companies accused of supplying equipment to Rabta.
Diplomatic sources said the Libyans appeared to believe that West German businessmen had tipped off world leaders last week that the plant had produced about 50 tons of lethal mustard gas since it began production in mid-1989.
West German businessmen were warned several days ago that if the United States attacked the plant, it would mean the end of their business activities in Libya.