UN draft resolution would not lift Libya arms embargo, despite government's plea for aid

UNITED NATIONS – The U.N. Security Council is set to vote on a draft resolution on Libya that would not lift an arms embargo that the country's Western-recognized government says is hurting efforts to defend itself against the rise of the Islamic State group.

The draft resolution obtained by The Associated Press instead urges a U.N. sanctions committee on Libya to "consider expeditiously" the government's requests for exemptions to the arms embargo.

Libya and neighboring Egypt last month urgently requested international aid after a video of the beheading of 21 Egyptian Coptic Christians announced the presence of Islamic State group supporters in the chaotic country.

But council members worry that weapons will leak to the multiple armed groups in Libya, which has split into two governments, one supported by Islamic extremists.