BRICS against use of force

BERLIN, Apr 15 (Agencies): The leaders of the US, the UK and France said Friday in a joint letter that there can be no peace in Libya while Muammar Gaddafi stays in power. Barack Obama, David Cameron and Nicolas Sarkozy say NATO must maintain military operations to protect civilians and maintain pressure on Gaddafi. To allow him to remain in power would "betray" the Libyan people, they write. Signs of division remain within NATO, which is struggling to find additional combat aircraft for its strikes. The French defence minister has suggested a new UN Security Council resolution may be needed for NATO allies to achieve their goals in Libya. Gerard Longuet was speaking after a joint letter by the US, UK and French leaders said there could be no peace while Col Muammar Gaddafi was in power. On the other hand, leaders of five of the world's major emerging powers (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) said Thursday the use of force in Libya and the Arab world should be avoided, at a summit intended to showcase their growing global clout. Chinese President Hu Jintao chaired the wide-ranging BRICS meeting in the southern China resort city Sanya with South Africa's Jacob Zuma, Brazil's Dilma Rousseff, Russia's Dmitry Medvedev, and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The leaders were seeking to present a united front as they push for their countries to have a bigger say on the world stage, particularly within the United Nations, the International Monetary Fund and other global institutions. The five nations -- which together represent more than 40 per cent of the world's population -- said their unusual joint presence on the UN Security Council in 2011 offered an opportunity to work together on Libya. On the battlefield, Gaddafi's troops pounded rebel positions in Misrata on Friday, firing mortar and artillery rounds into the strategic port city, while to the west, in Tripoli, aircraft could be heard circling the city. Libyan state television, meanwhile, reported civilian casualties from Thursday's NATO airstrikes. The attacks came as the alliance chief asked for more precision fighter jets in order to avoid civilian deaths. Meanwhile, another report adds, Libya's foreign minister expressed hopes for a "political solution" to end the two-month conflict in his country, his Cypriot counterpart said after the pair held talks on Thursday. Abdelati Laabidi reiterated a "commitment to the initiative of the African Union and the wish for a political solution to be achieved," Cypriot Foreign Minister Marcos Kyprianou told reporters in Nicosia. Laabidi, who flew into Cyprus on Wednesday, made the remarks as NATO was meeting to consider calls for intensifying air strikes against forces loyal to Libyan leader Muammer Gaddafi. Rebels fighting to oust Gaddafi from power on Monday rejected a ceasefire proposal put forward by the African Union which would have halted the NATO bombing campaign.