NATO rejects call to end Libya war
Source: Agencies |
June 24, 2011, Friday
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NATO'S chief yesterday slapped down a call from Italy for a suspension of hostilities in Libya and tried to reassure wavering members of the Western coalition that Moammar Gadhafi can be beaten.
Italy's cease-fire call exposed the strain on the NATO alliance, nearly 14 weeks into a bombing campaign that has so far failed to dislodge Gadhafi but is causing mounting concerns about its cost and about civilian casualties.
Gadhafi himself sounded a fresh note of defiance with an audio recording, broadcast on Libyan television, in which he called NATO states murderers of innocent civilians and vowed to avenge their deaths.
Asked about Italy's cease-fire call, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said in a newspaper interview: "No, on the contrary. We shall continue and see it through to the end."
"The allies are committed to making the necessary effort for a sustained operation," he told France's Le Figaro newspaper.
"We will take the time needed until the military objective is reached: end all attacks against Libyan civilians, return armed forces to barracks and freedom of movement for humanitarian aid."
NATO says it is operating under a United Nations mandate to protect civilians from Gadhafi's forces as he tries to crush an uprising against his 41-year rule. Gadhafi says NATO's real aim is to steal the country's plentiful oil.
The US, British and French leaders have said they will keep up the pressure until Gadhafi leaves power, but the rebels opposing him have been unable to break through his defenses and advance on the capital.
At the weekend, NATO acknowledged for the first time in the campaign that it may have caused multiple civilian casualties, when an air strike hit a house in Tripoli.
That opened up cracks inside the alliance that had already been starting to appear because of the length of time the campaign had been under way without producing a decisive breakthrough.
Gadhafi alluded to the civilian casualties in the audio recording broadcast late on Wednesday.
"You said, 'We hit our targets with precision,' you murderers!" he said. "One day we will respond to you likewise and your homes will be legitimate targets."
Italy lies directly across the Mediterranean Sea from Libya and NATO relies heavily on its military airfields to launch air operations over Libya.
But the Italian government is an uneasy participant in the campaign, with some parts of the ruling coalition opposed to military intervention.
Italy's suggestions of a cease-fire got short shrift from NATO allies. Both France and Britain - the biggest contributors to the air campaign over Libya - rejected anything that would ease the pressure on Gadhafi to step down.
Time is now a crucial factor for both sides in the conflict, with unity in the NATO-led coalition likely to come under more strain and Gadhafi's ability to resist being steadily worn down by sanctions, air strikes and fighting with rebels.
Italy's cease-fire call exposed the strain on the NATO alliance, nearly 14 weeks into a bombing campaign that has so far failed to dislodge Gadhafi but is causing mounting concerns about its cost and about civilian casualties.
Gadhafi himself sounded a fresh note of defiance with an audio recording, broadcast on Libyan television, in which he called NATO states murderers of innocent civilians and vowed to avenge their deaths.
Asked about Italy's cease-fire call, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said in a newspaper interview: "No, on the contrary. We shall continue and see it through to the end."
"The allies are committed to making the necessary effort for a sustained operation," he told France's Le Figaro newspaper.
"We will take the time needed until the military objective is reached: end all attacks against Libyan civilians, return armed forces to barracks and freedom of movement for humanitarian aid."
NATO says it is operating under a United Nations mandate to protect civilians from Gadhafi's forces as he tries to crush an uprising against his 41-year rule. Gadhafi says NATO's real aim is to steal the country's plentiful oil.
The US, British and French leaders have said they will keep up the pressure until Gadhafi leaves power, but the rebels opposing him have been unable to break through his defenses and advance on the capital.
At the weekend, NATO acknowledged for the first time in the campaign that it may have caused multiple civilian casualties, when an air strike hit a house in Tripoli.
That opened up cracks inside the alliance that had already been starting to appear because of the length of time the campaign had been under way without producing a decisive breakthrough.
Gadhafi alluded to the civilian casualties in the audio recording broadcast late on Wednesday.
"You said, 'We hit our targets with precision,' you murderers!" he said. "One day we will respond to you likewise and your homes will be legitimate targets."
Italy lies directly across the Mediterranean Sea from Libya and NATO relies heavily on its military airfields to launch air operations over Libya.
But the Italian government is an uneasy participant in the campaign, with some parts of the ruling coalition opposed to military intervention.
Italy's suggestions of a cease-fire got short shrift from NATO allies. Both France and Britain - the biggest contributors to the air campaign over Libya - rejected anything that would ease the pressure on Gadhafi to step down.
Time is now a crucial factor for both sides in the conflict, with unity in the NATO-led coalition likely to come under more strain and Gadhafi's ability to resist being steadily worn down by sanctions, air strikes and fighting with rebels.
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