The Guardian reports:
Nicolas Sarkozy has called for targeted air strikes against Muammar Gaddafi’s regime if his forces use chemical weapons or launch air strikes against civilians.
As the EU foreign policy chief, Lady Ashton, warned that a no-fly zone could risk civilian lives in Libya, the French president told an emergency EU summit in Brussels that air strikes may soon be justified.
“The strikes would be solely of a defensive nature if Mr Gaddafi makes use of chemical weapons or air strikes against non-violent protesters,” Sarkozy said. The French president qualified his remarks by saying he had many reservations about military intervention in Libya “because Arab revolutions belong to Arabs”.
Sarkozy said he had won the support of David Cameron for his plan which would have to be approved by the UN, Arab states and Libyan opposition groups.
Not surprising at all.
It’s a slippery slop that The West is walking. Going from condemnations to sanctions to No Fly Zones to targetted airstrikes.
Of course this is coming from right-wing Sarkozy who tried to ban burqa’s in public before the EU Human Rights Court shot him down. So he can save his faux sensitivity “Arab revolutions belongs to Arabs” while proposing NATO airstrikes to EU leaders. We all know what he really thinks.
Also for those interested the BBC interviewed Noam Chomsky the other night on the revolutions and the proposed No Fly Zone. Was a great interview that discussed the historical/colonialist background to the uprising and the West’s response.
Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_oMslFIYaVk&NR=1
Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyWDzFgw2es&feature=related
“Nicolas Sarkozy has called for targeted air strikes against Muammar Gaddafi’s regime if his forces use chemical weapons SOLD TO HIS REGIME BY FRANCE, THE US AND UK, or launch air strikes against civilians WITH PLANES SOLD BY THE WEST.
Hi Vince,
Look at website http://far-maroc.forumpro.fr/t450-armee-libyenne-libyan-armed-forces. You will see that a great majority of Lybian airplanes have not been sold by France(12), UK(0) or USA(0) but by Russia (300 !!!! MIG 23, MIG25,Sukhoi Su-20M,Sukhoi Su-22M,Tupolev Tu-22B, Aero L-39ZO , SOKO G-2A). France has only repair 4 Mirage F1 (out of 12), only 2 are in Malte now. Pt Sarkozy has asked for air strike against military target as 1 million of Lybian are in danger.
C. O’ T. Makes a good point and with links too. Perhaps the Arab league or Saudi’s should enforce the no fly zone! But what ever happens, the west, especially the U.S. I believe, has reached the point where it should withdraw from all the ventures the Military is in, bring all the troops home and if the so called Business peoples, Financial interests want to invade other countries, let them, but without the U.S. backing. It’s time to become reclusive in the U.S. Having all this open to the World by the Business entities, has only turned the U.S. into a has been country, its greatness being that it has the capabilities to blow the world to pieces.