Libya: Britain backs Clinton view that UN has sanctioned arming rebels

Libya: Britain backs Clinton view that UN has sanctioned arming rebels

David Cameron told the Commons at PMQs there was a legal basis for supplying arms to Libyan rebels. Photograph: PA

Britain threw its weight behind the US declaration that the UN had provided a legal basis to supply arms to rebel forces in Libya in limited circumstances, though ministers would act with "extreme care" before making any decision, David Cameron said.

In a sign that Britain was in no rush to ship arms to the rebels, William Hague, the foreign secretary, warned that sending weapons could have "unforeseeable and unknown consequences".

The government set out its thinking on arming the rebels ahead of news last night that President Barack Obama has signed a secret government order that authorises covert help to the Libyan rebels by such organisations as the CIA.