Air strikes in Libya a dangerous act of aggression: CPI-M

New Delhi, Mar 20 (PTI) The Communist Party of India
(Marxist) on Sunday termed as a "dangerous act of aggression"
the aerial strikes in Libya by US-led coalition forces and
said it was a "calculated intervention" in an internal
conflict.
The party asked all democratic and progressive forces
in India to strongly protest yet another military aggression
by America and its allies on an Arab-African country.
In a statement by CPI(M) Polit Bureau, the party said
"The military strikes by the forces comprising France, Britain
and the United States is a dangerous act of aggression.
"They are now repeating what they did in Iraq, which
led to deaths of millions of people and large scale
destruction. Already forty eight people are reported dead in
the attacks on the first day," it said.
Despite the rhetoric about protecting the Libyan
people, it said this act of aggression is a "gross violation"
of Libya's sovereignty and a "calculated intervention" in an
internal conflict to bring about a change of regime.
"The hypocrisy of the Western powers can be seen in
their connivance with the Saudi military intervention to crush
the popular and peaceful revolt in Bahrain. The West has no
compunction in resorting to force to secure its interests in
oil-rich Libya and the Middle East," it said.
The party said the UN Security Council resolution on
Libya has been utilised by these military forces for this
attack.
"The five members of the Security Council, which
includes India, who abstained on the resolution should
immediately demand a review of the resolution. Till then there
has to be a halt to the military action," it said.
The US-led military coalition on Sunday hit Libyan
defence targets with cruise missiles and launched air attacks
as Muammar Gaddafi vowed to open his arms depots to the people
to retaliate against the Western "aggression".
French jets fired the first shots in Operation Odyssey
Dawn, the biggest international military intervention in the
Arab world since the 2003 invasion of Iraq, destroying tanks
and armoured vehicles in eastern Libya, Al-Jazeera reported.
They were joined by the US and the UK who fired over
110 Tomahawk missiles from American and British ships and
submarines, hitting about 20 Libyan air and missile defence
targets in the capital Tripoli and along the Mediterranean
coast, US Navy Vice Adm William Gortney said at a Pentagon
briefing.