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Clinton, Gates Oppose Arming Rebels

“Someone else can do that,” says Defense secretary.

It looks like France will have to arm the Libyan rebels. An administration official says Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, one of the main champions of Libyan intervention, stands with Defense Secretary Robert Gates in his reluctance to supply the rebels with weapons and training. The official says Clinton is supremely cautious about arming the rebels “because of the unknowns,” including the possibility that they might have links to al Qaeda. Gates, in testimony to Congress on Thursday, said that what the rebels need now “is some training, some command and control, and some organization,” saying, “It's pretty much a pickup ballgame at this point.” But, he continued, providing weapons and training is “not a unique capability for the United States, and as far as I’m concerned, somebody else can do that.” As for whether the U.S. would send troops, Gates told Congress, “Not as long as I'm in this job.”