Russia opposes arming rebels in Libya
According to Reuters, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on June 30 that arming Libyan rebels was a "serious violation" of a United Nations Security Council resolution, which imposed a comprehensive arms embargo on Libya since February 2011.
"Today we asked our French colleagues whether the information that French weapons were being transferred to the Libyan rebels is true. If that is true, this is a serious violation of UN resolution 1970," Lavrov told reporters.
On June 29, France became the first NATO country to publicly admit arming rebels seeking to overthrow leader Muammar Gaddafi.
Mr Lavrov made the comments just a day before he is scheduled to meet French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe in Moscow.
Meanwhile, British Foreign Secretary William Hague said on June 30 that the country is currently providing 5,000 sets of armor, 6,650 police uniforms and 5,000 sets of reflective vests to police forces loyal to the opposition Transitional National Council in Libya.
Britain's announcement came a day after France defended its decision to airdrop weapons to Libyan rebels, saying it did not breach a UN arms embargo because the ammunition was needed to protect civilians under threat.
According to Vietnam+
