Libya War:NATO defense ministers discuss Libya exit

Laaska News Oct. 6,2011
NATO stands ready to help Libya on security reform: Rasmussen

NATO defense ministers discuss Libya exit
NATO defense ministers say they will continue the aerial bombing in Libya while studying ways to end the operation.

The announcement came on the opening-day of a 2-day meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels on Wednesday.

NATO has been carrying out its military operation in Libya for 6 months in line with a UN resolution calling for protection of civilians from forces of ousted Libyan leader Muammar al-Qadhafi.

After Wednesday’s session, NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen told reporters that the operation will end when the civilian population is no longer threatened.

He said NATO will carefully assess the security situation in Libya, and in particular, the capability of the National Transitional Council to protect the civilian population before deciding on the future of the operation.

He said such a decision would not depend on locating Qadhafi whose whereabouts remain unknown ever since he fled his compound in Tripoli in August.

At Wednesday’s session, the ministers also agreed that the first-ever operation led-by NATO allies in Europe exposed their shortcomings in intelligence capabilities that has left them dependent on US drones. The ministers agreed to discuss measures to improve their capabilities.

NHK.
NATO stands ready to help Libya on security reform: Rasmussen
 

BRUSSELS, Oct. 5 (Xinhua) — NATO stands ready to help the Libyan authorities to carry out reforms on defense and security if requested, the military alliance’s chief said on Wednesday.

“We agreed that NATO should be ready to assist the new Libyan authorities with defense and security sector reforms, if they request our support,” Anders Fogh Rasmussen said after the first session of defense ministers’ meeting.

“NATO has long experience of supporting the move from dictatorship to democracy. And if asked, we would be happy to share that experience,” he told reporters.

Rasmussen said although defense ministers hailed the Libya mission operation as “a great success,” they discussed lessons that the alliance should draw from it.

“The operation also showed we lack certain critical capabilities, especially in Europe,” he stressed.

European allies and Canada took the lead in the mission. They provided most of the assets. But they had to rely on the United States to deploy critical enablers to get the job done. “I’m talking about intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and air-to-air refuelling,” he said.
Xinhua.

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