Tories want to press Gaddafi on IRA links
The Conservative party in Britain today urged Tony Blair's government to press the new “open” Libya to produce a full list of the arms shipped to the IRA.
Desmond Swayne, for the Tories, raised the subject at Northern Ireland question time in the Commons.
“Is it the (British) government’s policy to use the present improved relations with Libya to discover a full inventory of the arms that were shipped to the IRA?” he asked.
Junior Northern Ireland Minister Ian Pearson said Libya was a matter for the British Foreign Office.
Michael Mates, a Tory former Northern Ireland Minister, also urged the British government to find out from Libya, under their new openness regime, exactly what arms were shipped to Northern Ireland when Colonel Gaddafi was co-operating with the IRA.
Northern Ireland Secretary Paul Murphy said: “It’s important that the issue is discussed and that the Foreign Secretary looks at these matters.
“But it’s also important to understand that what’s happened in Libya over the last number of weeks is hugely important for the safety of the world.”
He said he would raise the matter next time he spoke to Mr Straw on this issue.
