Shopping trip for arms dealers

Libyan arms dealers will arrive in London this week amid mounting evidence that the British Government is intent on increasing weapons trading with Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's regime following the release of the Lockerbie bomber.

An entourage of senior Libyan officials is to attend the Defence Equipment & Systems International conference, the world's largest arms fair, which starts on Wednesday.

The Libyan Embassy and British Government have refused to name individuals in the delegation or to say how big it will be, but protesters believe it will be the largest contingent of Libyan arms dealers ever to visit Britain.

Kaye Stearman, spokeswoman for the Campaign Against Arms Trade, yesterday accused the British Government of unethical behaviour by trading with a regime accused of human rights abuses. "Surely the least we should demand is to stop UK arms companies from trading with this rich and dangerous country," she said.

Arms trading between Britain and Libya has increased rapidly. Britain approved licences for £12 million ($29 million) of arms equipment to go to Libya in 2008, but licences for more than £9 million were approved in just the first three months of this year.

British arms dealers will visit Libya next month for the Libyan Aviation Exhibition in Tripoli.

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