Translated material
Rockets for nurses
However, last week it became known about the existence of contracts for the supply of Milan anti-tank missiles to Libya from France for 168 million euros and Tetra radio communication systems for 128 million euros. The son of the Libyan leader, Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, told the Le Monde newspaper that Paris's agreement to supply arms to Libya prompted Tripoli to meet EU demands and release doctors. According to Gaddafi Jr., the military agreement with France provides for joint military exercises, the production and maintenance of weapons, as well as the provision of military assistance by France in the event of a threat to Libya's national security.
After this, the leader of the French socialists, Francois Hollande, proposed convening a parliamentary commission. This idea was supported by the Speaker of the National Assembly Bernard Acquayer, Prime Minister Francois Fillon and President Nicolas Sarkozy himself. The commission can only be created after the parliamentary recess at the national assembly session in early October.
According to French Defense Minister Hervé Morin, the sale of anti-tank missiles to Libya was approved by former President Jacques Chirac. The minister said that representatives of the missile manufacturer arrived in Libya to complete the deal long before July 25, when Nicolas Sarkozy visited Tripoli.
The sale of Milan missiles to Libya is the first French arms deal with Tripoli since 2004, when the European Union lifted a military embargo on Libya in exchange for Gaddafi abandoning his nuclear program. Milan was developed in 1962 by Nord Aviation and Messerschmitt-Belkov-Blom. The missile system is an offensive fire support weapon and has a range of 2 km. The Milan missile is capable of reaching speeds of up to 200 m per second, it is designed to penetrate 1000 mm thick armor equipped with a reactive protection system, or reinforced concrete 3 m thick or more.