Coalition meeting on Libya to be held in London
0 Comment(s)
Print
E-mail
Xinhua, March 24, 2011
As the coalition operation in Libya continues, a political steering committee proposed by France has fixed its first session on next Tuesday in London.
Speaking in front of French lawmakers on Wednesday, French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said a "contact group" would meet in London on Tuesday, including members of the United States, France, Britain and other involved countries.
British Foreign Secretary William Hague later confirmed the meeting, which, according to French media, is on the level of foreign ministers to better coordinate the operation among coalition states involved in the military intervention in Libya, as well as the Arab League and African Union.
Firm with his position on NATO, the top French diplomat again stressed no leadership for the U.S.-centric alliance.
He made it clear on Tuesday that NATO was important to provide "support" in respects of coordinating the warplanes and operational missions of different countries, most of which are NATO members, but France wanted to maintain its initiator role in later operations and even in "organizing peace" in Libya.
A new poll published Wednesday on local daily France-Soir showed that around 66 percent of French people supported the international intervention in Libya, while 34 percent chose disapproval, representing a change in public attitude compared with a previous poll conducted in early March, which recorded 63 percent of French people against this intervention.
French forces destroyed over ten armored vehicles of Gaddafi's troops in the previous three days of the operation, Defense Minister Gerard Longuet said in an interview with Le Figaro. "The no-fly zone is henceforth realized," he added. "So what's threatening the population today are tanks and artilleries."
How to neutralize Gaddafi's power on the ground threatening Libyan rebels can be one focus of the upcoming political steering meeting.
Also on Wednesday, Juppe told local reporters that the intervention wouldn't last long and once again dismissed the possibility of deploying ground troops to Libya.
Nevertheless, except for a ground force, the UN resolution still offers leeway for the coalition to maneuver "all necessary measures." As a result, concerns of a worsening situation are sparked.
"This operation which aimed at making a no-fly zone, quickly turned into a war, and does not protect civilians," Marine le Pen, head of the National Front, the French far right party, said to private television channel Canal+.
"France has put his finger in the gears and has to assume the responsibility of the failure," warned Roland Muzeau, the spokesman of communist deputies in the National Assembly.
Even the Socialist that supported the intervention at first cast doubt. "We approved an operation in the framework of UN resolutions and we hailed the first results. But we have to take into account the risk of reversal of the Arab opinion. Libya should not be another Iraq," said Jean-Marc Ayrault, the president of the Socialist in Parliament.
