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Libya: NATO Assumes Control Of Military Operation
BBC NEWS, AFRICA
March 27, 2011: NATO says it has agreed to take over command of the military operation that is enforcing UN resolutions on Libya. The announcement came after a meeting of NATO envoys in Brussels. The US had been anxious to cede its leading role.
The military coalition was assembled after the UN Security Council authorized an action to protect Libyan civilians. Aircraft have been attacking government troops for eight days.
Libya's rebels are continuing to make gains on Colonel Gaddafi's forces. They have swept westwards, taking the eastern coastal towns of Ras Lanuf, Brega, Uqayla and Bin Jawad, before reaching Nofilia just 100km (60 miles) from the Gaddafi stronghold of Sirte.
Heated discussion
BBC Europe correspondent Chris Morris in Brussels says military representatives of the 28 member states had earlier agreed NATO’s operational plan but it needed the ambassadors to provide political approval.
NATO has been already enforcing the UN's arms embargo against Libya and patrolling the no-fly zone. It will now take over all aspects of the aerial campaign. Reuters news agency quoted one NATO official: "NATO has decided today to implement all aspects of the UN resolution 1973 to protect civilians and civilian-populated areas under threat of attack from the Gaddafi regime."
NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said the takeover by NATO was "immediate". However one diplomat, quoted by Associated Press, said the logistics of the transfer from US leadership could take several days.
Our correspondent says precise operational details have not been revealed by NATO but there will be a high-level committee of representatives from all of the countries taking part in order to give broad political guidance to the campaign.
The NATO announcement came after a week of heated discussion among members, with Turkey and France in particular wary of a NATO leading role. France thought Arab nations would not want NATO to lead, whereas Turkey had questioned whether the military air strikes reflected the remit of UN resolution. Other nations such as Italy and Norway have threatened to withdraw military support without a fixed command system.
