Frankrijk en Verenigd Koninkrijk stellen VN-resolutie op voor no-fly zone boven Libië (en)
Britain and France are drafting a UN Security Council resolution to authorise a no-fly zone over Libya, a move that would require military intervention in case the Gaddafi regime does not step down soon. Nato meanwhile has put its surveillance planes on 24-hour alert.
"We are working closely with partners on a contingency basis on elements of a resolution on a no-fly zone, making clear the need for regional support, a clear trigger for such a resolution and an appropriate legal basis," British foreign minister William Hague said in the Parliament on Monday (7 March).
France is also co-writing the draft resolution, in close consultation with Germany and the US.
"Assuming that the fighting becomes more lethal, we must prepare to respond. That's why we accepted the no-fly zone plan over Libya," French foreign minister Alain Juppe said over the week-end in Cairo.
Mr Hague referred to "credible reports" that Colonel Gaddafi was using helicopter gunships against civilians.
Meanwhile, Nato has put its surveillance planes (Awacs) on 24-hour alert to detect any strikes the pro-Gaddafi forces may undertake. So far, Awacs were used in the Mediterranean airspace only for ten hours a day.
Speaking to the German tv station ARD, Nato chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen i said that the military alliance had no intention to intervene in Libya, but that "plans are being drafted for any possible scenario."
An assessment of what measures are necessary to impose a no-fly zone and how to enforce an arms embargo on Libya should be ready by Thursday, when Nato defence ministers are having their regular meeting in Brussels.
In Washington, the White House is not excluding any of the military options, including land troops and arms for the rebels.
"On the issue of... arming, providing weapons, it is one of the range of options that is being considered," White House spokesman Jay Carney said.
But he also hinted that Western powers for now have limited intelligence about the opposition forces. "It would be premature to send a bunch of weapons to a post office box in eastern Libya, we need to not get ahead of ourselves," he said.
A vivid example of "diplomatic contacts" gone wrong happened over the week-end, when a squad of eight British special forces were briefly captured by Libyan opposition fighters in the eastern town of Benghazi, due to what Mr Hague called a "serious misunderstanding."
Western contacts to rebel forces, as clumsy as they may appear, are labelled as a "conspiracy" by the Gaddafi regime. Libyan foreign minister Moussa Koussa claimed Monday it was clear that "France, Great Britain and the US are now getting in touch with defectors in eastern Libya. It means there is a conspiracy to divide Libya."
He insisted that the military has acted within the law and hasn't been indiscriminately shooting at civilians. International fact-finding missions were welcome to Libya to investigate, Mr Koussa added.
As international pressure is mounting, cracks in the circle around Colonel Gaddafi seem to be emerging. According to the Wall Street Journal, some Gaddafi allies are lobbying for a plan that calls on him to cede power to a council of technocrats who could shepherd a transition toward democratic reforms and a government based on modern institutions. Under this plan, the Libyan dictator would be given an honorary title reflecting his service to the country, but be removed from day-to-day decision-making.
In addition to the military plans under a UN or a Nato mandate, EU countries will also consider a rewamp of the Union's policy for the region. Fresh proposals, to be presented on Tuesday in Strasbourg by the EU commission, are likely to include more pro-active democracy support, such as "adequately monitored, free and fair elections." The draft will feed discussions of EU leaders meeting in Brussels on Friday.