NATO strives to resolve row over transferring command

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BRUSSELS, Mar 24, 2011 (agencies): NATO strived again Thursday to resolve a squabble over transferring command to the alliance of military operations in Libya from a US-led coalition pounding Muammar Gaddafi's regime. The latest effort was stymied late Wednesday during a new round of marathon talks among ambassadors of the 28-nation alliance, partly because Turkey says the coalition bombings must stop first, NATO diplomats said. French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe, however, said Thursday that the US, British and French air strikes against Libya had been a "success" and would continue. Britain said Libya's air force was almost obliterated. NATO envoys were to meet again on the same day European leaders gather across town in Brussels for a two-day summit, also divided over the conflict. Despite the row, NATO has drawn up the outlines of what its command structure would look like if and when it takes over the no-fly zone, another alliance diplomat said. Several NATO nations want the alliance to take over command of the entire campaign, and US officials say they want to hand off responsibility to someone else within days. France, however, is insisting on leaving political control of the mission in the hands of an international coalition while NATO would run day-to-day operations, arguing that flying the mission under the Western military organisation's flag would alienate Arab allies. A diplomat said alliance ambassadors have been discussing what shape the political committee would look like: whether it should include the 28 NATO members plus other nations or only some NATO states with other partners. Discussions are "progressing rapidly," the diplomat said. Italy, calling for a single chain of command under NATO, said France was being "intransigent." Turkey, which has criticised the Western strikes in Libya, "doesn't want to sign on to a NATO mission while there is another coalition going on," a Western official said. Germany has also refused to take part in any military intervention, even refusing to back the UN Security Council resolution last week that called for "all necessary measures" to stop Gaddafi from killing civilians. A compromise under discussion would allow countries opposed to the strikes to opt out of such operations while those that want can continue the attacks, diplomats said. Meanwhile, in Libya fighting between rebels and forces loyal to Col Gaddafi has been continuing in key cities after a fifth consecutive night of air strikes by international forces. Overnight, several loud explosions were heard in the capital, Tripoli. In the rebel-held city of Misrata, east of Tripoli, government tanks have been shelling the area near the hospital. There have also been reports of fierce fighting between rebels and pro-Gaddafi forces in strategic Ajdabiya. Residents fleeing the town described shelling, gunfire and houses on fire. There are reports of Western air strikes hitting the Tajura district of the capital, Libyan military sources and media have said. A report from Washington adds: As America's NATO allies shoulder a greater share of the mission in Libya, the Arab countries that urged the UN Security Council to impose a no-fly zone are missing from the action. Except for the small Persian Gulf nation of Qatar, which is expected to start flying air patrols over Libya by this weekend, no other members of the 22-member Arab League so far have publicly committed to taking an active role. The US has sold many of these countries, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, billions of dollars in sophisticated military gear over the past decade to help counter Iran's power in the region. In the latest round of attacks, the international coalition struck at leader Muammar Gaddafi's military sites with jet bombers and more than a dozen Tomahawk cruise missiles, a US defence official said Thursday. Targets late Wednesday and early Thursday included Gaddafi's air defense missile sites in Tripoli and south of the capital as well as an ammunition bunker south of Misrata and forces south of Benghazi, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak on the record.