Bombing of Libya Would Become "gift" For Violators of Non-proliferation Regime - Russian Expert
MOSCOW. March 18 (Interfax) - The UN Security Council resolution imposing a no-fly zone over Libya will play into the hands of violators of non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction regime, Alexei Arbatov, the head of the International Security Center of the Institute of World Economy and International Relations of the Russian Academy of Sciences, said.
"An attack against Libya would be a gift for all violators of the Non-Proliferation Treaty," Arbatov said on Friday.
"If Libya becomes an object of a military operation, it will lead some countries to believe that no one would think of threatening Gaddhafi with a military operation now if he had not voluntarily given up his nuclear program several years ago," he said.
"The imposition of a no-fly zone is a military operation. It envisions attacks on aerodromes and air defense systems, not just a ban of flying," the expert said.
"This will lead Iran, Syria, and some other countries violating the non-proliferation regime to make a new powerful step towards obtaining nuclear weapons," the expert said.
Libyan leader Moammar Gaddhafi gave up the development of weapons of mass destruction programs in December 2003, a step that gave him some political preferences from the Western countries.
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