Britain wants NATO to step up ground attack in Libya

Britain wants NATO to step up ground attack in Libya

Britain has pressured other NATO members to step up ground attacks in Libya.

British Foreign Minister, William Hague, made the call in Qatar, at the meeting of Ministers. Hague said that there was need for other coalition aircraft to join ground attacks.

"There are many other nations around Europe and indeed Arab nations who are part of this coalition. There is scope for some of them to move some of their aircraft from air defence into ground-strike capability," he said.

Resolutions

The call has however, created a division at the international "contact group" meeting, not only on arming rebels and stepping up air attacks but also on creating a fund from frozen Libyan assets to help rebels trying to overthrow Muammar Gaddafi.

Call for assistance

United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, underlined the humanitarian disaster caused by the war, when he told the meeting up to 3.6 million people, or more than half the population, could need assistance.

There is increasing frustration in Paris and London that air strikes have neither tipped the balance of the war in favour of rebels trying to end Muammar Gaddafi's 41-year rule nor even ended devastating shelling of the besieged city of Misrata.

French Foreign Minister, Alain Juppe, attacked NATO on Tuesday for not stopping the bombardment of the town, where hundreds of civilians are said to have died in more than six weeks of siege.

Libyan television said on Wednesday that NATO planes had bombed Misrata's main Tripoli Street, the scene of repeated battles between rebel defenders and government troops. It said people were killed, without giving details.

It said alliance planes also attacked Gaddafi's birthplace of Sirte, east of Misrata.

Call for help

Rebels attending the Doha meeting said they expected more support, noting that NATO was using "minimum" power and needed to step up attacks on Gaddafi's heavy weapons.

Britain and France, Western Europe's two main military powers, are delivering most of the air strikes on Gaddafi's armour since President Barack Obama ordered US forces to take a back seat.

Other NATO countries are either keeping their distance from the campaign or enforcing a no-fly zone.

Controversies

A wide gap appeared at once between NATO hawks and doves.

Belgian Foreign Minister, Steven Vanackere, said that the March 17 UN resolution authorising NATO action in Libya -- to protect civilians from Gaddafi's government forces -- ruled out arming civilians and he saw no need to boost forces there.

In another disagreement, German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle expressed reservations about an Italian call to create a fund from frozen assets to aid the rebels.

"The question is, is it legal? The answer is we don't know," he said.

Britain's Hague called for a temporary financial mechanism to fund rebel government in the eastern territory they control.

The rebels said they would ask for 1.5 billion dollars in aid for civilians.

A spokesman for the rebel national council at the Doha talks, Mahmud Awad Shammam, said that the coalition was considering supplying arms which he said should go to soldiers who have defected from Gaddafi's army.

He said that the rebels only had "primitive weapons" taken from Gaddafi's troops.

Hague also sought a clear statement from the ministerial group that Gaddafi must go, a demand reiterated in Doha by the rebels.

The group of international powers has struggled to reach a consensus on calling for regime change.

Shammam said that the national council took a positive view of an initiative by Muslim NATO member, Turkey, for a peaceful transition in Libya and called for Gaddafi’s exit.

Libya battle

At the eastern front on Wednesday, rebels at Ajdabiyah said they were exchanging rocket fire with Gaddafi's forces from a point about 40 kilometers east of the long contested oil port of Brega, which the government holds.

Libyan government spokesman, Mussa Ibrahim, lashed out against the West's "imperialist way of thinking", accusing world powers of trying to impose political change on Libya.

REUTERS/Williams/ Qasim