Brussels, 10/03/2011 (Agence Europe) - Ahead of the special European summit on Friday 11 March, most of which will be taken up with how to respond to events in Libya, France upset the applecart on Thursday 10 March by becoming one of the first countries to recognise the Libyan opposition group, the National Transition Council (NTC) as the only legitimate representative of the Libyan people. The French decision was announced by the NTC envoys that the French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, met with for long talks in Paris, but was later officially confirmed by the presidential place to the surprise of France's EU partners, which are recommending a far more cautious approach of waiting and seeing how things pan out. At the Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels on Thursday with Catherine Ashton to prepare for Friday's summit, France was virtually isolated on recognition of the NTC, explained the Finnish foreign minister, Alexander Stubb. Sources close to Catherine Ashton said after the meeting that it was a good idea to enter dialogue with the opposition and the Commission was already in contact with all opposition parties, but recognising the NTC as the only legitimate representative would be rushing into things. The EU high representative says it is the Arab League first and foremost (and not the EU) that should decide on the legitimacy of the Libyan opposition movement. Sources close to Ashton say that in a country where there are a lot of different tribes, one has to be cautious and not rush into recognition of any one group. A two-pronged approach is recommended by the source of holding dialogue with the opposition and the NTC people but also keeping in contact with the more moderate elements around Gaddafi who can influence the colonel and get him to understand that he has to put an immediate end to his massacres of Libyans and leave office. The United Kingdom and Germany are among the countries calling for a cautious line on recognition of the NTC. The British foreign minister, William Hague, commented laconically after the meeting that it is countries that are recognised, not governments. In Italy, Silvio Berlusconi says it is better to wait for the whole of the EU to take a position before recognising the NTC as the only legitimate authority in Libya, but Italy wants the EU to make a statement supporting the NTC's political aspirations.
Targeted air strikes? Along with calling for the EU to recognise the NTC, Sarkozy will be submitting a broader plan to the summit on Friday including an EU embargo of Libyan oil and “targeted airstrikes” on Libya, along with a scrambling of the broadcasting of Colonel Gadaffi's orders. Targets recommended for bombing by France include the military airport at Syrte, some 500 km east of Tripoli, the military airport of Sebha in the south close to the Chad border and Bab al-Azizia, the Tripoli regime's nerve centre, according to sources quoted by AFP.
No-fly-zone. The question of a potential no-fly-zone about Libya was discussed by the EU foreign ministers on Thursday (and also by NATO later in the day at a meeting of defence ministers). France and the UK remain highly in favour of a no-fly-zone but most of the other countries are reluctant to go along with the idea, not wanting to rush into a dangerous military operation without a mandate from the United Nations and without the support of the Arab League and the African Union. The German minister, Guido Westerwelle, made it very clear that Germany does not want to get dragged into a war in North Africa. He said a no-fly-zone was easy to announce but very difficult to put into action and said that Germany would reject such an idea anyway unless there were a “clear mandate” from the UN Security Council and it were given political support by Arab League countries and the African Union, which would also need to be involved in activating it. Berlin is waiting for the political sanctions already issued (freezing of assets and travel bans) and the new measures decided on Thursday (see below) to take effect. Finland's Alexander Stubb said that military intervention was not on the agenda at the moment but had to remain a possible option in the event of “excessive massacres” or if Gaddafi used “chemical weapons” against the opposition. Introducing a no-fly-zone could be seen as the West interfering in Arab affairs and should therefore only be done in close collaboration with the African Union and the Arab League, in addition to a UN mandate, he said. Luxembourg's foreign minister, Jean Asselborn, said that the unanimous vote required at the UN Security Council for deciding on a no-fly-zone might be possible if the Arab League, which is meeting this Saturday, decided to request one.
New sanctions issued against Libya. Meanwhile, on Thursday 10 March, the EU member states formally issued new sanctions (using the written procedure) on which agreement was reached by the EU experts on 8 March (see EUROPE 10331). The existing freezing of the bank accounts and economic assets of Gaddafi, his family and close circle has now been extended to five big Libyan financial bodies, including the Libyan Investment Authority (LIA) and the central bank. The measures will be published in the EU Official Journal on Friday 11 March and come into force immediately. One more person has been added to the 26 covered by the existing sanctions. (H.B./transl.fl)