Officials said the National Transitional Council, which ousted Col.
Moammar Gadhafi, would not purchase Russian weapons. They said Tripoli
would instead select Western platforms and equipment.
"Libya will not need weaponry in the future," NTC chairman Mustafa Abdul
Jalil said.
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In a Sept. 8 interview with Russia's RIA Novosti news agency, Abdul
Jalil did not cite Libya's defense requirements. He said NTC's policy was
not based on any hostility to the Kremlin, Middle East Newsline reported.
"Russia supported our revolution from the very beginning when it did not
use its veto right against UN [Security Council] resolutions 1970 and
1973," Abdul Jalil said. "Russia will have its own role in the future of our
country, reflecting its support of this revolution."
Libya has long been a major defense client of Moscow. Russia's
state-owned Rosoboronexport has determined that it would lose $4 billion in
current and prospective weapons deals with Tripoli.
Analysts said the loss of the Russian market for Libya was not
unexpected. They said the Kremlin was regarded as a supporter of the
Gadhafi regime.
"It is obvious that the new Libyan authorities will buy weaponry
primarily from France and the United Kingdom and secondly from Italy and the
United States to thank them for their direct support in ousting Gadhafi,"
Russian Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies director Ruslan
Pukhov said.