UK: Threat of Libya arms proliferation is real

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An image of a Russian SA-7 Grail Man-Portable Air Defense Systems, or MANPADS.
An image of a Russian SA-7 Grail Man-Portable Air Defense Systems, or MANPADS.

By CASSANDRA VINOGRAD

Associated Press

LONDON - Britain takes the threat of weapons proliferation in Libya very seriously and is working to ensure that missing weapons stockpiled by the late authoritarian leader Moammar Gadhafi don't end up in the wrong hands, a military official said Thursday.

It's widely known the late Libyan leader had invested heavily in shoulder-launched missiles, Britain's Chief of Joint Operations Air Marshal Stuart Peach said, but he does not know how many missiles are unaccounted for.

``We're trying to get to the bottom of what might be there and what might not be there, what might be claimed to be there,'' Peach told reporters. ``We need to be careful about where these things end up and into whose hands they end up.''

The U.K. government said earlier this week that a team of experts from the U.K. is helping deal with the issue of surface-to-air missiles, some known as Man-Portable Air Defense Systems, or MANPADS, and small arms that have gone missing from weapons stockpiles.

Libya was believed to have about 20,000 of the missiles in its arsenals before civil war began in March and there are strong concerns that thousands have gone missing and could end up in the hands of terrorists.

Peach conceded there are ``more than hundreds'' but said there has not yet been access ``to the precise bookkeeping'' from the Gadhafi era that would allow a more accurate estimate. He said Britain is trying to work with Libya's National Transitional Council to secure the weapons.

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