While NATO talks, defiant Qaddafi tours Tripoli in a safari hat
| Washington
Even as NATO foreign ministers failed to come together Thursday on a plan for ramping up the alliance鈥檚 air campaign in Libya, the country鈥檚 rebels warned of an impending blood bath in the western city of Misrata if NATO does not take out the Qaddafi regime鈥檚 tanks and artillery firepower.
And as if to thumb his nose at NATO鈥檚 impact in his country so far, leader Muammar Qaddafi chose the very hour of the NATO ministers鈥� meeting in Berlin to drive around Tripoli in a convertible vehicle, waving to onlookers and pumping his fist defiantly.
NATO officials are acknowledging that the three-week-old Libya campaign needs more and different kinds of aircraft, in particular if the alliance is to carry out the 鈥減rotection of civilians鈥� portion of its mandate.
IN PICTURES: Libya conflict
The NATO commander of the Libya operation, Admiral James Stavridis, made a plea at the Berlin meeting for more precision fighter jets to join the mission. While it appeared no commitments were made, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said he was 鈥渙ptimistic鈥� that several countries would 鈥渟tep up to the plate鈥� by Friday鈥檚 close of the ministerial gathering.
All eyes were on the US, since it is the US that has the kinds of aircraft Admiral Stavridis is seeking. Yet while Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton called on the ministers to maintain 鈥渙ur resolve and unity,鈥� she gave no indication the US was prepared to reverse course and provide the kind of airpower that would return it to a lead role in the air campaign.
The US started out in the lead of the effort to establish a no-fly zone over Libya, deploying forces that President Obama said at the time were 鈥渦nique鈥� to the US and essential to stopping Colonel Qaddafi鈥檚 use of airpower against rebel forces and civilian targets.
In the days leading up to NATO鈥檚 two-day ministerial meeting this week, France and Great Britain complained of inadequate participation and airpower in the NATO-lead operation, and suggested the alliance could fail in its task to protect Libyan civilians without a return of US airpower.
Libyan rebels on Thursday said rocket attacks on Misrata 鈥� the only city in western Libya under partial rebel control 鈥� had killed at least two dozen people. They predicted a 鈥渂loodbath鈥� in the coming days if NATO fails to stop Qaddafi鈥檚 offensive.
Secretary Clinton seemed to want to acknowledge the rebels鈥� warnings when she told her NATO colleagues that 鈥淨addafi is testing our determination.鈥� Or perhaps she had seen the Libyan television footage of the Libyan leader riding around Tripoli in sunglasses and a green safari hat.
Clinton reiterated what she said is the alliance鈥檚 goal, which is 鈥渢o see the end of the Qaddafi regime in Libya.鈥� But she also suggested that the US would not be ratcheting up its military contribution to achieve that goal, saying the international coalition assembled on Libya 鈥渕ust also intensify our political, diplomatic, and economic mission to pressure and isolate Qaddafi and bring about his departure.鈥�
IN PICTURES: Libya conflict
