Talks on no-fly zone in Libya "very preliminary": India

United Nations, Mar 9 (PTI) Despite a strong call for
establishing a no-fly zone in Libya by Britain, deliberations
on the measure were still "very preliminary", according to a
top Indian envoy here, who stressed that key questions like
"objective" and "assets" remain unanswered.
"Consideration for imposing a new-fly zone is still at
a very preliminary stage," Hardeep Singh Puri, India's
ambassador to the UN told PTI.
"There has been some mention but without clarity on
what the objective would be. There is even less clarity on
whether assets of imposing a no-fly zone would come from," he
said, stressing that no "formal proposal" was in front of the
Security Council yet.
Britain and France are preparing a draft resolution on
a potential no-fly zone in the strife-torn North African
nation.
"It is a realistic possibility and it is a practical
possibility. It has to have a clear legal base, it has to have
the necessary international support, broad support in the
region itself, Britain's Foreign Secretary William Hague had
said.
The Security Council was briefed yesterday on
Middle East and North Africa in a closed-door session by the
UN's top political official Lynn Pascoe.
"As we see in the battles that have been going on,
clear actions are being taken against the people there, both
in Tripoli and other cities," he told journalists after the
meeting.
"This is a matter of huge concern for all of us in the
secretariat, certainly for the Security Council," he said.
Responding to whether a no-fly zone was discussed at
the meeting, Pascoe said it was among the several issues that
were part of a "serious and interactive discussion" on the
role of the Security Council and Secretary-General Ban
Ki-moon's office in face of the Libyan crisis.
Last month, the Security Council unanimously adopted a
resolution slapping sanctions on the Libyan regime, which
includes a complete arms embargo, an asset freeze and a travel
ban on strongman Muammar Gaddafi and his loyalists, and a
referral to the Hague-based International Criminal Court.
US President Barack Obama had yesterday discussed
about the creation of a no-fly zone with UK Prime Minister
David Cameron during a telephonic conversation.
The two leaders "agreed to press forward with
planning, including at NATO, on the full spectrum of possible
responses, including surveillance, humanitarian assistance,
enforcement of the arms embargo, and a no fly zone," a
statement from the White House said. MORE PTI BS
RET