UK PARTICIPATION:THE NO-FLY zone over Libya will continue to be enforced, despite Libyan leader Muamma Gadafy decision last night to call a new ceasefire, the British government said last night.
“Everyone will recall that in recent days Colonel Gadafy declared a ceasefire which was promptly violated. We said then we would judge him on his actions not his words — and we will do so again,” said a spokesman for the British prime minister, David Cameron.
“His obligations are very clearly set out by the UN Security Council resolution. Our assessment is that he is in breach of these obligations so we will continue to enforce the Resolution,” said the spokesman.
The British government believes a number of Arab nations, including Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, will soon become involved in policing the no-fly zone over Libya, despite sharp criticism from the Arab League about alleged civilian casualties in the wake of the first attacks by French military jets on Saturday.
Defence secretary Liam Fox said Royal Air Force Tornados and Typhoons would fly to southern Italy to set up a permanent base for patrolling duties, although he added that the British government would press to persuade some Nato countries doubtful about the action, including Germany, to bring the operation under Nato’s command structures.
Mr Fox and foreign secretary William Hague said the overthrow of Muammar Gadafy was not the objective of the United Nations- sanctioned mission, although the defence secretary was careful to add that regime change “may come about” if support slipped away from the Libyan leader in coming days following the air strikes.
“It would be much better for everyone if Gadafy went but, given this is not part of the UN resolution, the important thing is to ensure that Gadafy does not have control of the military assets which he uses to brutalise and murder his people,” said Mr Fox, who spent much of the weekend speaking to Arab counterparts.
There has been broad support for British prime minister David Cameron, the first western leader to push for a no-fly zone, who will address the House of Commons today.
There is concern that the objectives of the mission are unclear, however.
Labour, in particular, may press today for guarantees that air strikes will not be followed by a ground invasion.
Saying none of the countries involved was preparing for a ground invasion, Mr Hague added that it was “unlikely” there would be civilian casualties from the attacks on Libyan radar and anti-aircraft batteries, although experience elsewhere, including Kosovo, has been that such casualties are almost inevitable.
Arab League secretary general Amr Moussa’s criticism yesterday afternoon of the first wave of air strikes caused confusion for a time in London, as the league had earlier backed the mission.
