THE government has approved a draft law banning the production, possession and transportation of chemical, nuclear, biological and radioactive weapons in Cambodia.

The draft law, approved on Friday at a Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Hun Sen, is now with Tea Banh, the minister of defence, and will then be sent to the National Assembly, said Phay Siphan, a spokesman for the Council of Ministers.

Phay Siphan said Hun Sen was keen that Cambodia led the way in reducing other countries' concerns about the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and that the draft law was in harmony with the Constitution, which already outlaws chemical and nuclear weapons.

Kirt Chantharith, a spokesman for the National Police, said the draft law was a basic instrument for implementation. He added that Cambodia had already ratified the international treaty on chemical and nuclear weapons.

"This shows the commitment of the government," he said. "We have never had such war with such weapons in our country."