Splits widen among Western leaders over way forward in Libya
As the US moves to transfer command of Libya operations to Western allies, Europe is grappling with who should take the lead to enforce UN Resolution 1973.
Libyan rebels try to take cover as mortars from Libyan leader Muammar Gadhafi's forces are fired on them on the frontline of the outskirts of the city of Ajdabiya, south of Benghazi, eastern Libya, Tuesday, March 22. Coalition forces bombarded Libya for a third straight night, targeting the air defenses and forces of Qaddafi, stopping his advances and handing some momentum back to the rebels, who were on the verge of defeat just last week.
Anja Niedringhaus/AP
Paris
Some 56 hours after launching military strikes in Libya to protect civilians and set up a no-fly zone, European and US leaders are now describing operations as successful and efficient – and explaining the lack of planning and clarity in the mission as a necessary evil of moving swiftly to save lives.
Skip to next paragraphSubscribe Today to the Monitor
The official verdict in London, Washington, and Paris is that the coalition that acted on United Nations Resolution 1973 stopped a bloodbath, supported the right cause, and needed to move “now not later,” as British Prime Minister David Cameron told Parliament, which strongly supported the action.
Air strikes on Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi’s forces “stopped the attack [on Benghazi] in its tracks,” a British military spokesman said today.
The intervention was “not ideal,” French Prime Minister François Fillon said today in the French National Assembly, which also showed rare unified support for an initiative by President Nicolas Sarkozy. “But hesitation would have been worse.”
“Sarkozy got out in front,” says Charles Kupchan of the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington. “Sarkozy is not a retiring type … he was important in crystallizing a coalition ... and he helped force the issue with Obama.”
Yet as “transfer” of command moves from the US to a European coalition that led the Libyan strike, some large issues are pressing: Who will lead the coalition, is Mr. Qaddafi a legitimate target, and how to identify friend from foe in the field.
The issue was on awkward display Monday at a fractious NATO meeting, as French and German representatives walked out after being criticized for too much zeal, and too little zeal, respectively, by NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen.
On Tuesday, coalition planes expanded the no-fly zone further in Libya under US command but targets have started to diminish as Qaddafi’s forces stay away from the open desert. There was fighting today in Misurata, Libya’s third largest city, as well as in Ajdabiya and Zintan.
These comments are not screened before publication. Constructive debate about the above story is welcome, but personal attacks are not. Please do not post comments that are commercial in nature or that violate any copyright[s]. Comments that we regard as obscene, defamatory, or intended to incite violence will be removed. If you find a comment offensive, you may flag it.