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Same Nations Shelling Gadhafi Peddled Him Weapons

Before the uprising, France, UK, Italy and Russia all vied to make sales

By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff

Posted Mar 24, 2011 9:23 AM CDT

(Newser) – Some of the very same European countries now leading the charge to destroy Moammar Gadhafi’s weapons were pushing each other out of the way to sell him those same weapons just months earlier, according to a survey of international arms sales. France, the UK, Russia, and Italy have all been jockeying for position as Libya’s top arms dealer for years, Miller-McCune reports, and Russia alone says it will lose $4 billion because of the UN weapons embargo.

Though sales of conventional arms have been “very low,” since the embargo was lifted in 2003, an EU report from January indicated that France, Italy and Germany had been “steadily increasing their business ties with Libya.” Russia, the top arms dealer to Libya, will lose $4 billion thanks to the new embargo, the director of the state-run weapon exports company said Friday. The US once tried to sell arms to Libya as well, but Congress shot the deal down.

Libyan rebels, prepare to fire rockets during fighting against pro-Gadhafi fighters, in Sidra town, eastern Libya, on Wednesday March 9, 2011.
Libyan rebels, prepare to fire rockets during fighting against pro-Gadhafi fighters, in Sidra town, eastern Libya, on Wednesday March 9, 2011.   (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
Libyan rebel fighters prepares an anti-aircraft machine gun at a check point near the key city of Ajdabiya on March 23, 2011 as government forces have encircled the town.
Libyan rebel fighters prepares an anti-aircraft machine gun at a check point near the key city of Ajdabiya on March 23, 2011 as government forces have encircled the town.   (Getty Images/AFP)
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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 11 comments
Non-deep-thinker
Mar 24, 2011 12:03 PM CDT
The last sentence, above, reads, "The US once tried to sell arms to Libya as well, but Congress shot the deal down." Just kind of a quick, hardly-notice-it's-in-there, throw-away sentence. That sentence should read, "The Obama administration tried to sell arms to Libya shortly before the war happened." The U.S. didn't "once" try to sell arms to Libya, as if this happened long ago, somewhere in the distant mists of time, in some far-off, long-ago administration. It was the Obama administration who green-lighted a $77 million arms deal with Moammar Gadhafi's army just months before the war happened. Here's the real story: --WASHINGTON (AP) – In the months before Libyans revolted and President Barack Obama told leader Moammar Gadhafi to go, the U.S. government was moving to do business with his regime on an increasing scale by quietly approving a $77 million dollar deal to deliver at least 50 refurbished armored troop carriers to the dictator's military. Congress balked, concerned the deal would improve Libyan army mobility and questioning the Obama administration's support for the agreement, which would have benefited British defense company BAE. The congressional concerns effectively stalled the deal until the turmoil in the country scuttled the sale.
finkster
Mar 24, 2011 11:22 AM CDT
Should this surprise anyone? If you've watched "Lords of War" this is the business of War.
Dave99
Mar 24, 2011 10:18 AM CDT
Why do you hippies hate capitalism ?

 
Russia • United Kingdom • France • Italy • Libya • arms deal

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