U.S. White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders holds the daily briefing at the White House in Washington, DC, U.S. January 3, 2018. REUTERS/Carlos Barria

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House on Thursday congratulated Libya for destroying its remaining chemical weapons stockpile, and also called on Syria to fully eliminate its chemical weapons program.

“The United States congratulates Libya for destroying the last remnants of its Qadhafi-era chemical weapons stockpile,” White House Spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said in a statement, referring to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi who was overthrown and killed in 2011.

“The United States calls on Syria to eliminate all chemical weapons, to dismantle fully its chemical weapons program, and to ensure that these weapons can no longer be used against the Syrian people,” she added.