Ministers meet amid fears of Libya stalemate

TRIPOLI/DOHA, (Reuters) – Foreign ministers meet in  Qatar today for talks on Libya’s future, with some eager  to step up air strikes against Muammar Gaddafi’s forces, fearing  the conflict could settle into a bloody stalemate.

Moussa Koussa

The international “contact group” will hear from  representatives of the rebel national council based in eastern  Libya, who show little sign so far of being able to dislodge the  veteran leader from power in Tripoli despite the air campaign.

Nor, after the collapse this week of an African  Union-sponsored peace plan, was there any sign of compromise  between the warring sides.

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.

“We are ready to fight if it’s necessary. Not the Libyan  army but every man and woman and every tribe in Libya,” he said  in Tripoli late yesterday.

Moussa Koussa, a former Libyan foreign minister who fled to  Britain last month, will meet rebels in Doha on the sidelines of  the contact group talks, the British government said yesterday.

The contact group meeting comes amid reports of a deepening  humanitarian crisis in the besieged, rebel-held western city of  Misrata.

“It is not acceptable that Misrata is still under fire and  being bombarded by Gaddafi’s troops,” French Foreign Minister  Alain Juppe said in Luxembourg on Tuesday.

NATO took over air operations from a coalition of the United  States, Britain and France on March 31 and the rebels have  accused it of not doing enough.

Insurgents said renewed artillery bombardments and heavy  fighting hit Misrata yesterday. They said they had beaten back  two government offensives but civilians remained under fire and  short of food and medicines.   Juppe said NATO must stop Gaddafi shelling civilians and  take out the heavy weapons bombarding the city. “NATO must play  its role fully,” he said.

Speaking after meeting European Union foreign ministers in  Luxembourg later, Juppe said the alliance should “exert the most  efficient military pressure. We need to be more efficient”.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague said NATO countries  should “intensify our efforts” and urged others to follow London  in providing additional ground-strike aircraft.

NATO, which is operating under a U.N. mandate to protect  civilians, rejected criticism.   “NATO is conducting its military operations in Libya with  vigour within the current mandate. The pace of the operations is  determined by the need to protect the population,” it said.

Late yesterday, the alliance said its aircraft had  destroyed five tanks close to Misrata. “Our aircraft will  continue to hit regime targets around Misrata,” NATO operation  commander Lieutenant-General Charles Bouchard said in a  statement.

U.S. ROLE “RECEDES”

Britain and France, Europe’s two main military powers, are  carrying out most of the air strikes on Gaddafi’s armour since  President Barack Obama ordered U.S. forces to take a back seat.  The Americans are providing intelligence, logistical support and  air-to-air refuelling, but not bombing.

Two U.S. officials, speaking on condition that they not be  identified, said Washington’s position had not shifted. But they  added that some military assets unique to the U.S. military —  probably A-10 Warthog ground-attack aircraft or AC-130 gunships  — could be brought to bear on Gaddafi’s heavy weaponry.

The Pentagon said yesterday however that NATO had not asked  the United States to intensify its military operations.

“We feel like we’ve contributed a great deal to the success  of this operation thus far,” State Department spokesman Mark  Toner said. “Our role has receded in this mission.” The range of views among the 28 members of the NATO alliance  is wide. Germany, Turkey and Poland opposed the Libya operation  and are not involved in the air campaign.

Italy has said its aircraft will not open fire, the Dutch  are enforcing the no-fly zone but may not bomb ground targets  and non-NATO Swedish planes may only open fire in self-defence  while patrolling the no-fly zone.