G8 leaders to 'intensify' action in Libyan war

LEADERS OF the G8 powers moved to reaffirm their support for the Arab revolts yesterday by warning of an “intensification” of…

LEADERS OF the G8 powers moved to reaffirm their support for the Arab revolts yesterday by warning of an “intensification” of military action in Libya and committing to a major $20 billion (€14 billion) aid package for Egypt and Tunisia.

French president Nicolas Sarkozy said the time for mediation with Col Gadafy had passed and the only discussions that could now take place would be on “the modalities of his departure”.

Asked what Nato could do if the Libyan leader continued to defy calls for his resignation, Mr Sarkozy said there was “unanimity” about an “intensification of the military intervention” to protect civilians. He was speaking during closing remarks at the G8 summit in the French resort town of Deauville.

Russia, which abstained in the UN Security Council vote that cleared the way for military action, publicly called for Col Gadafy to step down, saying he had “deprived himself of legitimacy as the Libyan leader”. But an indication from Russian officials in Deauville that their contacts in Tripoli could offer a mediation route was rebuffed by Mr Sarkozy.

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“Mediation is not possible with Gadafy,” the French president said. “We can discuss the modalities of his departure, yes.”

In what appeared to be a co-ordinated hardening of rhetoric on Tripoli, British prime minister David Cameron emerged from the final session in Deauville to say Nato’s war was entering a new phase and that the deployment of British and French attack helicopters would turn up the pressure on Col Gadafy.

“Now there are signs that the momentum against Gadafy is really building. So it is right that we are ratcheting up the military, the economic and the political pressure,” Mr Cameron said.

So far, the Nato campaign has relied largely on strike jets dropping munitions from an altitude of about 15,000ft. The helicopters, flying much lower and slower, could more accurately identify targets in densely populated areas while risking fewer civilian lives. Such flights also expose the helicopter crews to greater risks.

Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi said the G8 leaders – representing France, the US, Japan, Germany, Britain, Italy, Russia and Canada – had devoted most of their working dinner on Thursday to the Libyan conflict, “and it’s everyone’s opinion that the regime is imploding”.

Earlier, US president Barack Obama and Mr Sarkozy said they were determined to stick with the Nato-led intervention. “We are joined in resolve to finish the job,” Mr Obama said. The leaders sought to underline their support for the democratic transitions in north Africa, meanwhile, by promising the aid package to Egypt and Tunisia, while holding out the prospect of billions more.

Likening recent events in the Arab world to the fall of the Berlin Wall, the leaders affirmed in a final declaration their “strong support for the aspirations of the Arab Spring as well as those of the Iranian people”.

Most of the funds are in the form of loans rather than outright grants. Mr Sarkozy said that on top of $20 billion of credits provided by the World Bank and similar regional lenders dominated by the major powers, there would be as much again from other sources – $10 billion from oil-rich Gulf Arab states and $10 billion from other governments.

“We are truly very satisfied with the very strong, clear and precise statements proffered by all of the G8 nations, and the financial institutions,” Tunisian finance minister Jalloul Ayed told journalists in Deauville. “It’s very clear that everybody wants to help us.”