Nato Attack on Libya Imminent as U.N. Security Council Approves Use of Force against Libya’s Qaddafi
UN Security Council (historicism.com)
Libya has agreed to an immediate cease-fire on the entire territory, the Libyan foreign minister Moussa Koussa announced on Friday, as a consequence of the vote of the United Nations Security Council which authorizes use of force on Libya.
French government spokesman announced that a military action could start at any moment against Qaddafi’s regime, as a result of the vote by U.N.
Francois Baroin said that France would participate in what was called a “swift” effort.
British PM David Cameron said the Royal Forces have started efforts to deploy aircraft to air bases where they could engage in action, if the leaders of Nato decide to take arms against the regime.
Muammar al Qaddafi (stirisidistractie.com)
According to a Libyan official, Qaddafi supports the idea of ceasefire, even though in an interview for Le Figaro on Friday, Qaddafi showed self-confidence by saying that if an attack started we would win because the people were with him.
Earlier in the week, Qaddafi had made allegations about the French president’s mental state, while his son said that Libya supported financially French presidential campaign.
The leader even threatened to give all the oil contracts to Russia, China, and India, thus punishing the West for their stance on his actions.
Some French authorities even seemed to have backed away earlier in the week from the idea of interfering in Libya by force, saying the officials had gotten carried away in the heat of the moment.
Libyan Attack (en.rian.ru)
On Thursday night, however, the United Nations Security Council voted by 10 to 0 with five absents that the nations had a right to interfere in order to defend civilian people, and imposed a no-fly zone, banning all flights in Libyan territory, except for humanitarian aids and the evacuation of the foreign nationals.
It was not clear who and how the operations would come to pass, but the United States and Nato have troops in the area capable of commencing action within hours.
The action would include air strikes meant to cripple the defense of the Libyan air force. President Barack Obama insisted on a substantial implication of the Arab countries in the action.
The Arab League ambassador said two Arab countries would get involved in the no-fly zone without specifying which two.
U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff Norton Schwartz said that establishing a zone would take at most a week.
The news about the no-fly zone were as a relief for the people in Benghazi who were expecting the governmental troops to attack their city.
Update 1: Italia’s foreign minister has announced that his country is going to allow military operations from its airports in order to install a no-fly zone in Libya. Italy has Nato bases in the North at Sigonella, Sicily, and Aviano.
Update 2: United States President Barack Obama announced on national television that the United States would engage in setting a no-fly zone over Libya, in coalition with European countries, if Qaddafi’s regime did not respect the ceasefire imposed by U.N. vote late on Thursday. The president specified though that the United States would not deploy ground troops on Libyan territory.
