Libya rejects accusations of arming, training Syria rebels

PanARMENIAN.Net - Libyan Prime Minister Abdurrahim El-Keib denied accusations that the Libyan authorities are running a training center for Syrian rebels, RIA Novosti reported.

“As far as training camps, unless this is something that is done without government permission, which I doubt, I’m not aware of any,” El-Keib said at a joint press conference with U.S. State Secretary Hillary Clinton.

Earlier, Russia's envoy to the UN Vitaly Churkin accused Libya of running a training center for Syrian rebels to combat the official Syrian government of President Bashar Assad.

Russia has been seen in the West as the staunchest supporter of the Assad regime as it has used, together with China, its veto right in the UN Security Council to block a resolution that could potentially result in military intervention in Syria as a repetition of the “Libyan scenario.”

Moscow insists that both the government and “armed terrorist gangs” operating in Syria should be held responsible for the unrest that has claimed over 7,500 lives, according to the UN.

In Libya, rebels ousted and killed long-standing dictator Muammar Gaddafi in October 2011 after a months-long military standoff in which they received assistance from NATO forces.