Frontline Blog

Wednesday 29 June 2011

The French government has admitted it has supplied weapons to Libyan rebels fighting Colonel Gaddafi's forces not far from the capital Tripoli.


23:24 |



A leading French newspaper is reporting the arms drops were made without the knowledge of France's NATO allies.

Despite media reports that the weapons included rocket launchers and anti-tank missiles, the French military says the supplies only consisted of rifles and ammunition.

A spokesman for the French general staff said the air drops in the Nafusa mountains began with humanitarian aid, including food, water and medical supplies.

But he said guns were also supplied for the self-defence of the mainly Berber fighters, who pushed to within 65 kilometres of Tripoli.

The supply of arms, however limited, is likely to reignite debate over the remit of NATO, which was authorised by the United Nations to protect Libyan civilians.

One UN diplomat said "a reading of the text of the UN resolutions on Libya does not prohibit the air drop of arms over Libya to protect civilians."

In London, British foreign minister William Hague said the rebel leadership based in the eastern city of Benghazi, had received the first $US100 million of international funding in the past week.

The rebels complained earlier this month they were running out of money and had not yet received any of the roughly $US1 billion promised by international donors.


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