Russia: outside meddling in Libya "unacceptable"

* Russia says "no-fly zone" talk premature

* Military intervention in Libya "unacceptable"

* Russia declares embargo on arms sales to Tripoli

MOSCOW, March 10 (Reuters) - Russia's foreign minister warned world powers on Thursday against meddling in the affairs of Libya and other African countries, saying military intervention would be unacceptable.

Moscow could use its clout, siding with fellow permanent U.N. Security Council member China, to temper Western policy and influence global actions, as it has done with Iran in an eight-year-long stand-off over its disputed nuclear activity.

Sergei Lavrov said Western discussion of proposals for a no-fly zone over the North African country was premature and had not yet been put before the Security Council, where Russia holds veto-wielding power.

He added that Russia would, however, "closely study" any such initiatives to provide support to rebel forces battling to oust long-time Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.

Russia, which has called the three-week old uprising in Libya a fully-fledged civil war, has warned against military intervention in Libya even as the United States and NATO weigh potential options to aid anti-Gaddafi rebels, including the no-fly zone, which could entail destroying Libyan air defences.

"In the United Nations charter and other international accords, it is clearly stated that each nation has the right to decide its own future," Lavrov said on state television during a meeting with his Congolese counterpart in Moscow.

"Intervention in internal affairs, especially military interference, is unacceptable."

Lavrov also warned that attempts to interfere in the revolt could bring greater long-term problems for Libya, and urged forces on both sides of the Libyan fighting to hold talks.

"Any reckless action, based on foreign models that were used in other parts of the world, could lead to serious problems which will then have to be faced by the African countries themselves," Lavrov told reporters.

"They must sit and negotiate, because the other alternative is civil war, more and more deaths among civilians."

But in a gesture of solidarity with international efforts to isolate Gaddafi, Moscow earlier on Thursday said it will ban all weapons sales to Tripoli, effectively halting billions of dollars worth of arms deals signed with Gaddafi's government.

The move belatedly brought Russia into line with a Feb. 26 U.N. Security Council resolution ordering an arms embargo and other punitive sanctions against Libya.

Russia's state-owned arms export monopoly this week said it had over $2 billion worth of arms contracts with Libya. Business daily Kommersant reported that the arms concern was about to close deals for military jets and anti-aircraft missiles worth another $1.8 billion.

(Writing by Alissa de Carbonnel; editing by Mark Heinrich)

Russia stops arms sales to Libya !

Russia, a key arms exporter to the Middle East, announced on Thursday it was banning the sale of all weapons to Libya, in line with its support of UN sanctions against Muammar Gaddafi’s regime.

President Dmitry Medvedev signed a decree banning the "export, sale and delivery to Libya... of all kinds of weapons and associated materials," the Kremlin said in a statement.

The move came after Russia joined other UN Security Council permanent members in ordering an arms embargo against Libya and other sanctions against the Gaddafi family.

But there has been concern in the Russian arms export industry about the impact of the ban, which its state arms exporter Rosoboron export says could cost the country $4 billion in arms exports.


http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/82b5e2f2-4b1a-11e0-911b-00144feab49a.html#axzz1GEAFvmmF
http://af.reuters.com/article/libyaNews/idAFLDE7290WO20110310?pageNumber=2&virtualBrandChannel=0
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Russia-stops-arms-sales-to-Libya/760596

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