NATO Still Shies Away from Direct Military Action in Libya

General view during a family picture during a NATO Defense Ministers meeting at the NATO headquarters in Brussels , Belgium 10 March 2011. EPA/BGNES

NATO's meeting of defense ministers on Libya has resisted mounting international calls for a military intervention in the North African country where dictator Muammar Gaddafi is fighting a popular uprising.

The major step that the alliance members agreed on with respect to Libya on Thursday was to increase maritime presence along the Libyan coast to help monitor a UN arms embargo and to provide support for humanitarian efforts.

"Deployment of more ships to the Libyan coast would improve NATO's situational awareness and contribute to our surveillance and monitoring capability, including with regard to the arms embargo," NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said at a news conference after the meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels.

The calls for NATO military action with respect to Libya have been focusing overwhelmingly on the possibility to set up a no fly zone over the country in order to prevent the Gaddafi regime from continuing to strike the rebels from the air, and to regroup its troops.

Rasmussen outlined three conditions for any possible NATO regarding the possibility of launching any military action against the repressive regime of Libyan dictator.

"Firstly, there has to be demonstrable need for NATO action. Secondly, there has to be a clear legal basis. And thirdly, there has to be firm regional support," he said.

He did condemn the crimes of the Gaddafi regime against the Libyan people and warned that the international community will not stand idly by.

Several NATO defense ministers have indicated during the meeting on Libya that the Alliance would need UN or at least some region form of authorization for any kind of military action.

"The key factor here is first of all the limitations of the U.N. Security Council Resolution 1970, which even when it comes to the embargo does not provide the authority for enforcement. So if there were to be a need for enforcement there would need to be a new U.N. Security Council resolution, even for that purpose," US Defense Secretary Robert Gates stated.

He did point out that NATO's defense ministers share concern about Moammar Gadhafi's escalating attacks on the Libyan people and have agreed to plan for all military options, as cited by the press service of the US Department of Defense.

Speaking at a news conference after a meeting of the alliance's defense ministers, Gates added that NATO will act only "if there is demonstrable need, a sound legal basis and strong regional support" for military action.

Gates said he welcomes the decision to reposition naval assets in the central Mediterranean Sea to enhance NATO's ability to monitor the United Nations arms embargo and to provide support for humanitarian efforts by the U.N., European Union and others.

"This builds on the decision earlier this week to increase around-the-clock aerial surveillance of Libya," the secretary said. "It's my impression that we're really not talking so much about increasing the number of ships as [we are] about repositioning ships that are already in the region."

Experts have commented that the USA and Germany have prevailed in the NATO summit on Libya over those members who are more prone for direct military involvement there.

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