Libya has been defined as a key challenge to the US-sponsored defense shield offered to NATO allies in Europe, said a report by the Middle East Newslink (MENL).
US officials were quoted as saying that the Bush administration had offered the proposed US missile shield to protect against intermediate-range missiles and non-conventional weapons from nearby North Africa. The sources said the administration warned NATO allies in southern Europe that the most likely threat comes from Libya.
Tripoli is said to have fired a missile toward Italy in 1986. The missile fell way short of its target, said MENL.
Libya, the officials told the news service, has been developing an intermediate-range missile capability with the help of North Korea. A shipment of North Korean missile components headed for Libya was seized at London's Heathrow airport in late 1999.
The European response has been largely receptive, the officials said. They said Italy and Spain had quietly welcomed the US missile shield offer – Albawaba.com
© 2001 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
