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China helping Libya develop ICBMs

SPECIAL TO WORLD TRIBUNE.COM
Wednesday, July 12, 2000

WASHINGTON -- The United States believes China is selling missile technology to Libya.

U.S. officials said the issue is being raised during the current talks by Defense Secretary William Cohen in Beijing.

Cohen acknowledged that he was raising alleged China missile sales to Pakistan and Libya. "We will raise the issue of proliferation with the Chinese, as the State Department did prior to my meetings," Cohen said when asked about Libya and Pakistan.

U.S. officials said Libya appears to be the new target of Chinese missile exports, Middle East Newsline reported. They said Beijing has ended cruise missile exports to Iran.

U.S. intelligence sources said North Korea is also aiding the Libyans and has offered Tripoli the Taepo Dong-1 missile.

U.S. Defense Secretary William Cohen referred to the Libyan threat last week in explaining that the U.S. missile defense system is not designed to counter Russian or Chinese missiles.

"It's not designed to pose a threat to the Chinese strategic systems," Cohen said, "but rather to counter the proliferation of missile technology that is taking place in areas such as North Korea, with Iran, with potentially Iraq again, Libya and other countries that are seeking to acquire long range missile capability as well as developing weapons of mass destruction."

U.S. officials said the most blatant evidence that Libya has been importing components was the shipment seized at London's Heathrow airport late last year. The shipment contained parts of missiles.

The sources said they can't be certain of how advanced Libya is in its effort. But they said Tripoli has launched an effort to acquire the technology and components of intermediate and long-range missiles. Libya could have already received the No-Dong missile.

Cohen said Libya is considerably behind the progress made by North Korea and Iran in building long-range missiles. "We believe that the North Koreans will be in a position by that point in time, 2005, and the Iranians certainly within a short time thereafter if not before, to achieve the same," he said.

The report on Libyan missiles comes as Tripoli continues to expand its international relations. On Saturday, a Libyan Arab Airlines jet landed in Cairo, resuming air links between the two countries after eight years.

Tuesday, July 11, 2000


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