Africa
NATO to police Libya no-fly zone
Secretary-general says the military alliance's 28 countries have agreed to
enforce no-fly zone "to protect civilians".
Last Modified: 25 Mar 2011 04:40
Rasmussen's announcement followed days of negotiations in Brussels [Reuters]
NATO countries have agreed to enforce a no-fly zone in Libya "to protect
civilians" against Muammar Gaddafi's forces, Secretary-General Anders Fogh
Rasmussen told reporters.
During a press conference in Brussels on Thursday, Rasmussen said the military
alliance's mandate did not go beyond the no-fly zone, but that NATO could act
in self-defence.
He appeared to contradict an earlier statement by Ahmet Davutoglu, Turkey's
foreign minister, that NATO would take command of all coalition military
operations in Libya.
"At this moment, there will still be a coalition operation and a NATO
operation," Rasmussen said. "But we are considering whether NATO should take on
that broader responsibility in accordance with the UN Security Council
resolution, but that decision has not been made yet."
Talks to unite both missions and transfer control of the broader campaign to
NATO would continue through the weekend with a decision expected by Monday,
NATO officials said.
Until then, the bombing campaign against Gaddafi's tanks and artillery, which
kicked off six days ago, will stay in the hands of the coalition led by the
United States, Britain and France.
Rasmussen's announcement followed days of negotiations and a breakthrough on
Thursday when Turkey agreed to back the plan.
Agreement from all 28 members of NATO is required to back any agreement, and
Turkey had previously rejected backing any plan unless it was given assurances
that the operation would be limited to protecting civilians, enforcing an arms
embargo and a no-fly zone, and providing humanitarian aid.
Transfer of command
?
After the announcement of the agreement, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
declared that the US was taking the next step in military operations against
Libya by transferring command and control of the no-fly zone to NATO.
Clinton said NATO had agreed to protect Libyan civilians, enforce the UN arms
embargo on the North African country and support humanitarian aid efforts there.
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She also said all members of the alliance had authorised military authorities
to develop an operations plan for NATO to take on the broader civilian
protection mission under resolution 1973.
She said the coalition action had made "significant" progress in Libya.
"Gaddafi's troops have been pushed back, but they remain a serious threat to
the safety" of the Libyan people, she said.
She also praised the United Arab Emirates for becoming the second Arab country
after Qatar to send planes to help the mission. The UAE will deploy 12 planes,
according to French President Nicolas Sarkozy.
Clinton said she will travel to London next week to coordinate the strategy and
military operation against Gaddafi's regime.
The United States has said since the campaign began that it would like to
relinquish the lead role in the operation against Gaddafi's forces.
Several key allies, including Britain and Italy, have pushed for the alliance
to run the show.
Navy Vice Admiral William Gortney told reporters at the Pentagon that the US
will continue to fly combat missions as needed, but its role will mainly be in
support missions such as refuelling allied planes and providing aerial
surveillance of Libya.
No compliance
Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said there were no signs that
Gaddafi's government was complying with UN Security Council demands for an
immediate cease-fire.
"There is no evidence that Libyan authorities have taken steps to carry out
their obligations under resolutions 1970 or 1973," Ban told the Security
Council on Thursday, during a briefing to update them on the operation.
He was referring to two council resolutions; the first called an immediate end
to hostilities, the second imposed a no-fly zone over the country and gave
member states sweeping powers to protect civilians in Libya.
Ban said his special envoy to Libya, former Jordanian Foreign Minister
Abdelilah Al-Khatib, had personally warned Gaddafi's government the council may
take further steps if Libya did not comply with resolution 1973.
"The special envoy emphasised that it was in Libya's best interests to cease
hostilities and change the dynamics of the crisis," Ban said. "If Libya did not
act, the envoy stated, the Security Council may be prepared to take additional
measures."
Council members discussed the crisis in Libya behind closed doors on Thursday
but took no action.
Al-Khatib will attend a meeting on Libya in Addis Ababa on Friday hosted by the
African Union, Ban said after the meeting.
"Representatives of both the Libyan government and the opposition will attend,
I was told, as well as relevant member states and regional organisations," he
told reporters.
The African Union has demanded an immediate halt to the coalition's military
strikes on Libya.
Ban said the military operations in Libya were not aimed at regime change, but
solely to protect civilians.
Around 336,000 people have fled Libya since the beginning of the crisis, he
said, adding that the UN had contingency plans to deal with as many as 250,000
new refugees.
Source:
Agencies
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Topics in this article
People
* Anders Fogh Rasmussen
* Ahmet Davutoglu
Country
* Libya
* Turkey
* United States
Organisation
* North Atlantic Treaty Organization
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