Four UN arms embargoes are currently in force in the Middle East and North Africa, targeting Libya and Iran as well as non-government forces in Lebanon and Iraq. A European Union (EU) arms embargo is also in place against Syria. On 26th February 2011, UN Security Council (UNSC) Resolution 1970 imposed an arms embargo against Libya and put in place sanctions on members of Libyan leader Muammar al-Gaddafi's inner circle, while Resolution 1973, adopted on 17th March, authorised a no-fly zone over Libya. Previous UN and EU sanctions, including arms embargoes, had been lifted in 2003 and 2004 after the country announced that it had ended its nuclear, biological and chemical weapon programmes.
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