Britain continues arms embargo on Libya after seizure of Scuds
SPECIAL TO WORLD TRIBUNE.COM
Tuesday, January 11, 2000
LONDON -- Britain has pledged to continue its arms embargo on Libya
and after attempts by Tripoli to smuggle Scud missiles via London.
The pledge came after British authorities seized 32 crates of Scud
missile components bound for Tripoli. The missiles were said to have a range
of more than 1,000 kilometers [600 miles], which would allow the Libyan
regime to strike Naples.
"We did not in any way change the regime on arms embargo against Libya
and also the missile controls on Libya and this latest development shows we
were wise not to change those arrangements," British Foreign Secretary Robin
Cook said. "They cannot evade those arms embargoes and missile control
regimes by coming through Britain. We've proved it in this case and we
expect them not to do it again."
Cook said Britain's new envoy to Libya, Richard Dalton, the first
ambassador to Tripoli in 15 years, would express Britain's "deep concern" at
the attempt to evade the embargo.
Diplomatic sources said the discovery of the missile components
jeopardizes plans by Cook this week to welcome Libya's new envoy Saad
Mujber. They said Cook might postpone the opening of a new Libyan embassy.
"We will be using that channel of communication to register with the
Libyan government our deep concern at this attempt to evade those regimes of
control on arms," Cook said in a television interview on Sunday.
Last week, European Commission President Romano Prodi discussed a visit
by Libyan ruler Moammar Khaddafy to Brussels.
Meanwhile, Britain has launched a crackdown against Islamic militants
aligned with Saudi billionaire fugitive Osama Bin Laden. After numerous
debates, British authorities are reviewing the tax exemption status of
Muslim charities and has removed that status from one such group.
The first charity affected was the London-based Muslim Cultural Society,
which will lose its tax exempt status and can no longer call itself a
charity. The group's chairman, Anjem Choudary, was found to have raised
funds and recruited volunteers for so-called Islamic wars.
Sheik Omar Bakri Mohammed, the trustee of the charity, told the Sunday
Telegraph that this could result in Muslim violence. "We are only doing our
duty as good Muslims," the sheik, regarded as a liasion to Bin Laden, said.
"This sort of action provokes an atmosphere of distrust which is not good
for Muslims and not good for the British public. It gives the impression
that the British government is an enemy. That sort of attitude could lead
some people to carry out violent acts."