US and Britain: Libya needs Government before Weapons
United Nations – Two of the most powerful members of the United Nations Security Council are rejecting Libya’s call to lift a U.N. arms embargo so it can defend itself against the Islamic State group.
The United States and Britain say the chaotic country needs a national unity government first.
Libya’s foreign minister told an emergency council meeting Wednesday that lifting the embargo is necessary as the militant group establishes a presence in northern Africa and moves closer to Europe. Alarm soared after a video released over the weekend showed the beheading of 21 Egyptian Coptic Christians there.
But Britain and the U.S. are openly worried about allowing more weapons into a country that has two separate governments, multiple militant groups and a high risk of weapons falling into unwanted hands.