Britain to supply telecommunication equipment to Libya rebels

Apr 4, 2011, 15:37 GMT

London - Britain is supplying the Interim Transitional National Council (ITNC) in Libya with telecommunications equipment, Foreign Secretary William Hague said Monday.

Hague also told parliament that a follow-up meeting of the Libya Contact Group, set up at an international conference in London a week ago, would take place in Doha, the capital of Qatar, next week.

On the fringes of the London conference, representatives of the ITNC sparked a lively discussion about arms supplies, saying that such deliveries would be 'welcome.'

But while initially suggesting that the delivery of weapons to forces fighting Libyan leader Moamer Gaddafi could be covered by the existing UN Resolution, both Washington and London have since stressed that no decisions had been taken on the delicate issue of arms supplies.

Hague reiterated Monday that Britain was prepared to provide 'non-lethal arms' to rebel forces, but that no weapons would be supplied.

He did not specify what kind of communication equipment would be sent to Libya, or how much.

Hague said that while the air strikes carried out by the NATO-led international coalition in Libya had 'stopped Gaddafi from bombarding cities,' the Libyan regime remained capable of 'inflicting considerable damage on the civilian population.'

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