Report: France to sell missiles to Libya
Pastor Dale Morgan
Report: France to sell missiles to Libya*
* Story Highlights
* Moammar Gadhafi's son tells paper France will sell anti-tank
missiles to Libya
* It's first arms supply deal between Libya and Western country, son
says
* French president denies arms deal secured release of foreign
medics in Libya
* European Union lifted arms embargo against Libya in 2004
PARIS, France (Reuters) -- France has agreed to sell anti-tank missiles
to Libya as part of a broader military agreement, the son of Libyan
leader Moammar Gadhafi was quoted as saying by French newspaper Le Monde
on Wednesday.
art.leaders.afp.gi.jpg
Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi, right, welcomes French President Nicolas
Sarkozy to Tripoli last week.
"You know this is the first arms supply deal between Libya and a Western
country," Saif al-Islam said, adding he expected more to be signed shortly.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy clinched an accord on defense and
signed a memorandum of understanding for a nuclear energy deal when he
visited Tripoli last week, after helping to free foreign medics
imprisoned in Libya.
Sarkozy denied Wednesday the release was secured by an arms agreement,
answering a question from journalists as to what deal had been offered
by France by saying: "None."
France has not revealed details of the defense deal, but Islam told Le
Monde it was groundbreaking.
"First of all, the accord covers joint military exercises, of course.
Then, we will buy from France anti-tank Milan missiles worth 100 million
euros [$136 million], I think."
The deal also included a project to manufacture arms, and maintain and
produce military equipment, he added.
The European Union lifted an arms embargo on Libya in October 2004, but
Islam said the ban had effectively remained in place, blaming the
Germans for putting the brakes on possible deals.
Islam said Libya had been negotiating with France for a long time: "We
have asked Sarkozy to speed things up."
The Milan is a portable, medium-range anti-tank weapon built by a
subsidiary of EADS, jointly controlled by French and German interests.
Islam said representatives of two other French firms, Thales and Sagem,
were in Libya to discuss deals.
Islam also told Le Monde that Libya wanted guarantees that France would
come to its defense if it was threatened, but said he did not know if
this was included in the deal.
Sarkozy flew to Libya hours after helping secure the release of six
foreign medics held in jail for eight years for allegedly infecting
Libyan children with HIV.
"Now that the case of the nurses is sorted out, this is a golden
opportunity opening up," Islam said.