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Libya to Convert Scud B Missiles to Lower Range, Payload Capabilities
Libya has told the United States that it plans to convert its arsenal of Russian-supplied Scud B ballistic missiles into shorter-range systems and that it would end all military trade with North Korea, U.S. officials said last week (see GSN, March 9). Libya is believed to possess several hundred Scud B missiles, which have a range of 185 miles and are capable of carrying a 2,200-pound payload, according to the New York Times. During talks with Libyan officials last month in Tripoli, U.S. Ambassador Donald Mahley proposed that Libya either destroy its Scud B arsenal or convert the missiles to shorter-range, less powerful systems, officials said. Last week, Libya informed the United States and the United Kingdom that it would convert the missiles so their range was less than 185 miles with a payload of less than 1,100 pounds, the Times reported. Libya also agreed to allow the United States and United Kingdom to monitor the conversion to ensure that it was “irreversible,” officials said. Such monitoring would probably involve “random, regularized access” to ensure that Libya does not build or purchase any additional Scud B missiles, an official said. Libya has also agreed to make a public declaration of its decisions, officials said. They added that they were unsure as to when such a declaration would be made (Judith Miller, New York Times, April 11).
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