THE HAGUE (AFP) - A request by Libya to convert chemical weapons production facilities into a pharmaceuticals plant has been given the go-ahead by an international weapons watchdog.

The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) said yesterday it had approved a scheme to covert the facilities into a plant that could produce low-cost medecine against AIDS and malaria for the African market.

"These vaccines are urgently required in the treatment of AIDS/HIV, malaria and tuberculosis," a statement by the organisation, which is based in the Dutch capital, said.

The plant at Rabta produced about 100 tonnes of sulphur mustard gas and other nerve agents in the 1980s. It was closed in 1990 after the United States and others accused Libya of using the facility for nefarious purposes and hinted at action to stop it.

Libya on January 6 agreed to adhere to the Chemical Weapons Convention following Tripoli's decision to give up its weapons of mass destruction development programme.