ID :
171356
Mon, 03/28/2011 - 16:58
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/171356
The shortlink copeid
NATO members, including Turkey, agree on Alliance control of entire Libya action, Senior US official says
WASHINGTON (A.A) - 28.03.2011 - A senior official with the U.S. administration on Sunday said NATO had assumed control of the entire military operation on Libya, adding that all allies had agreed on that point.
"From this one moment on forward, the entire operation with respect to military – the use of military force will be under NATO command. That is Turkey's position. It is now the position of all 28 nations in NATO," the U.S. official told reporters on the condition of anonymity.
Responding to a question on "strong Turkish objections" to the aerial bombing of Gaddafi's forces, the officials said that no objections had come from Turkey or any other ally.
"What we heard was a strong preference, one that was shared by Turkey, to have the entire operation – the no-fly zone and the civilian protection, as well as the arms embargo and support for humanitarian assistance – to have all of that conducted by NATO. That was Turkey's position, it was the position of a lot of countries, and that is, in fact, the position that the North Atlantic Council took today," the official said.
"NATO has agreed to take on the mission of protecting civilians, and that mission will be executed by the commanders in the best way they judge possible. It means, in practice, that NATO will conduct the military operation in a way that is very similar to the way the coalition has conducted it up to this point, and no more but also no less," the official said.
"And we – all 28 allies, every single one, agreed that that should be the case. And if it is judged by the commanders that there is a need to bomb forces of the Libyan regime, then the forces of the Libyan regime will be bombed, and no one is going to be able or in a position to challenge that. That is a military judgment to be made by the military authorities, and we, as an alliance, agreed today to give the supreme allied commander of Europe that authority."
"From this one moment on forward, the entire operation with respect to military – the use of military force will be under NATO command. That is Turkey's position. It is now the position of all 28 nations in NATO," the U.S. official told reporters on the condition of anonymity.
Responding to a question on "strong Turkish objections" to the aerial bombing of Gaddafi's forces, the officials said that no objections had come from Turkey or any other ally.
"What we heard was a strong preference, one that was shared by Turkey, to have the entire operation – the no-fly zone and the civilian protection, as well as the arms embargo and support for humanitarian assistance – to have all of that conducted by NATO. That was Turkey's position, it was the position of a lot of countries, and that is, in fact, the position that the North Atlantic Council took today," the official said.
"NATO has agreed to take on the mission of protecting civilians, and that mission will be executed by the commanders in the best way they judge possible. It means, in practice, that NATO will conduct the military operation in a way that is very similar to the way the coalition has conducted it up to this point, and no more but also no less," the official said.
"And we – all 28 allies, every single one, agreed that that should be the case. And if it is judged by the commanders that there is a need to bomb forces of the Libyan regime, then the forces of the Libyan regime will be bombed, and no one is going to be able or in a position to challenge that. That is a military judgment to be made by the military authorities, and we, as an alliance, agreed today to give the supreme allied commander of Europe that authority."
