NATO Starts 24h Monitoring of Libyan Airspace

NATO Secretary-General Rasmussen is meeting with NATO defense ministers over Libya. Photo by nato.org

NATO has started 24-hour monitoring of the Libyan airspace as dictator Muammar Gaddafi is struggling to stay in power in conflict with anti-regime rebels.

"We have extended surveillance in the Mediterranean. Having our AWACS monitoring the situation 24/7, will provide us with a better picture of what is going on and of course this improved picture is a prerequisite for evaluating the situation accurately," Anders Fogh Rasmussen said, as cited by Xynhua, as NATO defense ministers gathered to weigh options for Libya.

The NATO defense ministers are expected to decide on whether the Alliance will go for setting up a no-fly zone over the country to prevent the Gaddafi regime from striking the rebels from air.

The first airborne warning and control plane went on patrol at 7.30 am CET on Thursday.

A NATO official said each of the Boeing E-3 Sentry aircraft will remain over the Mediterranean for eight hours before being replaced by another plane. NATO has 17 E-3s and the entire fleet is registered in Luxembourg

On Wednesday, Rasmussen announced that NATO would not intervene in any form in Libya for the time being.

NATO Airborne Warning and Control System aircraft, or AWACS, routinely monitoring airspace over the Mediterranean as part of Operation Active Endeavor, had been watching Libya for 10 hours per day.

"At NATO we stand prepared for any eventuality. NATO is not looking for reasons to intervene in Libya, but as a defense and security organization we have the necessary plans," Anders Fogh Rasmussen said in a video posted on his blog.

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