US, Britain say Libya needs government before weapons
Two of the most powerful members of the UN Security Council are rejecting Libya's call to lift a UN arms embargo so it can defend itself against the Islamic State group, saying Thursday that the chaotic country needs a national unity government first.
Libya's foreign minister told an emergency council meeting Wednesday that lifting the embargo is necessary as the militant group establishes a presence in northern Africa and moves closer to Europe. Alarm soared after a video released over the weekend showed the beheading of 21 Egyptian Coptic Christians there.
"If we fail to have arms provided to us, this can only play into the hands of extremists," Mohammed al Dairi said.
