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Libya: UK Forces Prepare After UN No-Fly Zone Vote
BBC NEWS, UK POLITICS
March 17, 2011: UK forces are preparing to help enforce a no-fly zone over Libya after the UN backed "all necessary measures", short of an invasion, to protect civilians. Downing Street have cautioned against earlier suggestions that British planes could be in action "within hours" and declined to put a timetable on it.
The cabinet will meet on Friday and Prime Minister David Cameron will make a statement to the Commons, No 10 said. Foreign Secretary William Hague said the resolution authorized a no-fly zone over Libya and "all necessary measures" to protect the civilian population - including those in the rebel stronghold of Benghazi.
It also called for an immediate ceasefire, an end to the violence, measures to make it more difficult to bring foreign mercenaries into Libya and a tightening of sanctions.
The foreign secretary said it was a "positive response to the call by the Arab League" for measures to protect Libyan civilians and was the culmination of "a great deal of hard work in the last few days" by France, the UK, Lebanon and the US.
"It is necessary to take these measures to avoid greater bloodshed," Mr Hague said. "This places a responsibility on members of the United Nations and that is a responsibility to which the United Kingdom will now respond."
'No mercy'
Ten UN Security Council members backed the resolution while five abstained - nine votes were needed for it to pass. It comes as Libyan leader Col Gaddafi warned rebels in Benghazi his troops are coming and to expect "no mercy".
The UN resolution rules out a foreign occupation force in any part of Libya.
Senior UN sources had said British and French warplanes could be in the air within hours to carry out initial air raids on Libyan positions, possibly with logistical support from Arab allies.
But No 10 sources have declined to put any timetable on possible British military engagement - or whether action could begin this weekend. They said there was still "lots of talking to be done," said BBC political correspondent Norman Smith.
A Ministry of Defense spokeswoman said the UK was "developing a number of contingency plans" and continued to do so. British ambassador to the UN, Sir Mark Lyall Grant, said the UK welcomed the fact that the UN had acted "swiftly and comprehensively in response to the appalling situation in Libya". "We, along with partners in the Arab world and in NATO, are now ready to shoulder our responsibilities in implementing Resolution 1973," he said.
A draft UN resolution tabled by the UK, France and Lebanon on Tuesday proposed a ban on all flights in Libya, authorized member states to enforce it and called on them to participate in it.
But on Thursday the US, which had been cool on the effectiveness of a no-fly zone, said the UN should go further and a new strongly-worded draft resolution was put forward calling for "all necessary measures short of an occupation force" to protect civilians under threat of attack from the Gaddafi regime.
The resolution would permit air strikes on Libyan ground troops or allow attacks on Libyan war ships if they were attacking civilians, the BBC's Barbara Plett at the UN said.
Five countries out of 15 on the Security Council abstained from the vote on the Libya resolution, including Russia and China, who traditionally oppose military intervention into other countries.
Downing St said Prime Minister David Cameron had called Arab, African and European leaders to "make the case for strong action" by the UN throughout Thursday. Following the UN vote Mr Cameron had a half hour phone call with US President Barack Obama.
Asked whether Paris wanted military intervention to follow immediately on approval of the UN resolution, Prime Minister Francois Fillon said: "Of course." And Foreign Minister Alain Juppe, in New York to press the case, said the resolution "must be applied quickly" because of "the urgency on the ground". "France is ready, along with others, to put in action the resolution," he said - citing the UK and Arab nations.
In response to warnings from Libya's defense ministry that any outside attack would trigger retaliation and destabilize the Mediterranean region, the Foreign Office said Britain would not be diverted from its objective.
