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Rasmussen: NATO needs more precision strike fighters in Libya

14 April 2011 20:59 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said here Thursday that NATO generally has sufficient military assets for the Libyan mission, but it needs more precision strike aircraft as Libyan government troops changed their tactics, APA reports quoting Xinhua News Agency.

Attending a two-day meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Berlin, Rasmussen said NATO would "maintain a high operational tempo" against troops loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and fully implement the UN Security Council Resolution 1973, which authorized a no-fly zone over Libya and allows "all necessary measures" to protect civilians in the violence-torn country.

"I know questions have been raised on whether we have sufficient number of military assets and capabilities to accomplish this mission," Rasmussen told reporters. "Today, the supreme allied commander has briefed the ministers and he has given an overview of the whole operation."

Rasmussen said that the western alliance has "the necessary resources" to carry out the mission in Libya, but the requirements have changed as "the situation from the ground and the tactics of the Gaddafi’s troops changed."

The Libyan government troops "hide heavy arms in highly- populated areas, and to avoid civilian casualties, we need very sophisticated equipment and a few more precision fight aircraft for air to ground missions,"the NATO chief said.

"I am confident that the nations will step up to the plate," he added.

But when asked what the confidence came from, Rasmussen said he heard some indications that gave him hope, although he didn’t have any specific pledges and promises from this Berlin meeting.

Asked whether this meant the United States should provide more fighters and weapons, Rasmussen said the appeal did not refer to "particular countries", and the United States will continue to contribute to the mission.

Before the Berlin summit, rifts have emerged within the alliance over the scope of Libyan military campaign before the summit. France and Britain urged partners to enhance their military efforts against Gaddafi, while Germany insisted that " military solution" was never on its desk.

Only six out of NATO’s 28 members are conducting air strikes in Libya as the United States has moved into a back-up role and many countries have put restrictions on the use of their planes. NATO members also hold different views on issues like arming the rebels.

In the press conference, Rasmussen reiterated that "there is no military solution solely in the crisis of Libya, and what we need to ensure a long-term, sustainable solution is political process."

He stressed that "it is the Libyan people that decide the future of Libya" and NATO has no intention to interfere with the process, while adding that the alliance strongly endorse the call for Gaddafi to leave power, echoing a main outcome reached in the first meeting of the Contact Group, held in Doha on Wednesday.

Besides NATO’s 28 nations, foreign ministers from partner countries including Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Morocco, Sweden and Ukraine also attended the Berlin meeting from Thursday to Friday, which mainly focused on the situation in Libya, a North African country sunk into domestic conflicts since February.