NATO: Libya mission will be to protect, not arm
By Paula Newton, CNN
March 28, 2011 -- Updated 1447 GMT (2247 HKT)
NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen: "We are there to protect
civilians ... and that will be our focus."
NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen: "We are there to protect
civilians ... and that will be our focus."
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
* NEW: NATO is expected to control no-fly zone by end of the day Monday
* NATO's secretary general says NATO's goal is to protect civilians
* "We are not in Libya to arm people, but to protect people," he said
* NATO is taking the lead in enforcing the U.N. resolution
Tune in to CNN tonight at 7 ET for live coverage of President Obama's speech on
Libya . Then at 8 and 9 p.m., get expert analysis on "In the Arena" and "Piers
Morgan Tonight" -- only on CNN.
Brussels, Belgium (CNN) -- NATO's secretary general ruled out arming Libyan
rebels Monday as the alliance continued to take over command and control of the
entire Libyan mission.
The first NATO sorties to maintain the no-fly zone over Libya flew on Sunday,
NATO officials said. The alliance is expected to be in complete command of the
no-fly zone by the end of the day Monday.
The mission of protecting civilians is expected to be under full NATO control
by the end of the week, they said.
By taking control of the full mission, NATO will allow the United States to
step out of its lead role and more into a supporting one as requested by the
Obama administration.
In an interview with CNN here at NATO headquarters, Anders Fogh Rasmussen said,
"The U.N. mandate authorizes the enforcement of an arms embargo," and that NATO
has decided to participate. "We are not in Libya to arm people, but to protect
people," he said.
NATO takes over Libya mission
Libyan rebels continue westward push
Obama to speak on Libya Monday
What does Obama need to say Monday?
RELATED TOPICS
* Libya
* NATO
The ambiguity of the U.N. Security Council Resolution about Libya has made for
a wide range of opinion among nations about exactly the kind of intervention
that is permitted in order to "protect civilians."
In an interview Sunday, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates would not rule out
the possibility of arming the rebels.
"No decision has been made about that at this point. The Security Council
resolution would permit it. The second resolution, 1973, would permit it. But
no decisions have been made by our government about it," Gates told NBC's "Meet
the Press."
Some NATO sources acknowledged to CNN that they expect the scope of the rules
of engagement to be more narrow than the coalition's thus far, but they caution
that as the situation on the ground changes, so too will the character of the
NATO mission.
"Our mandate is very clear: We are there to protect civilians against attacks,
no more, no less, and that will be our focus," Rasmussen said. He was unwilling
to further characterize the nature of the rules of engagement.
"I will leave it to the military commanders to take decisions in concrete
operations. We have decided in the NATO council on the overall political
framework in full accordance with the U.N. mandate, and that is to protect
civilians. And then we will leave it to the commanders to take daily
decisions." he added.
The rules of engagement and the use of force to protect civilians have been
contentious issues as NATO sought consensus to take over the Libyan mission.
Turkey and Germany were among a handful of alliance members that want a more
strict interpretation of the U.N. mandate. France, in particular, had been
seeking more latitude to further embolden the rebels to topple Moammar Gadhafi.
Rasmussen ruled out the possibility of any NATO member country carrying out a
parallel campaign in Libya, including France.
"No, NATO is about solidarity, and the fact that NATO takes over the operation
means that we have a unity of command" he said.
CNN's Diana Magnay contributed to this report.
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