Brussels, 14/03/2011 (Agence Europe) - On the evening of Monday 14 March, all eyes were on the UN Security Council, which was to take position on the request of the Arab League to create a no-fly zone over Libya to stop Colonel Gaddafi from using the air force to repress the opposition and regain control over areas under rebel control. The Arab League's request, which was made on Saturday 12 in the wake of the extraordinary European Council on Libya, is one of the three conditions set in place by EU leaders to - potentially - support and take part in the implementation of an overfly ban of this kind (EUROPE 10334). Readers may recall that the other two conditions are that the need for action to be taken must be clearly demonstrated and, more importantly, for a “clear legal basis” to act. While most of them remain highly sceptical over the idea of a no-fly zone (which would require targeted military intervention), the 27 agreed to look into “all the options necessary” to ensure the safety of the Libyan people. Although the conclusions of the European summit do not refer to the Security Council, it became clear over the weekend, including at the informal meeting of the Home Affairs Ministers in Hungary (see the article) that a UN mandate will be vital to establish a no-fly zone or to carry out any other military intervention. On Monday, just before the meeting of the Security Council, the EU stated once again that it was “extremely concerned” at developments in Libya, where Gaddafi's troops were continuing their offensive against the rebels, who seemed to be losing more and more ground. “We are looking into different options” to put an end to the violence, Catherine Ashton's spokesperson announced on Monday. Creating a no-fly zone is one of these, she stressed, reiterating the need for a “clear legal basis” to do so. She did not rule out the possibility of the EU sending a mission to Benghazi in the next few days, to get a clearer impression of the opposition on the ground.
Ashton in Cairo. The high representative of the EU was in Cairo on Monday 14 March for talks with the transitional Egyptian authorities and the Secretary General of the Arab League, Amr Moussa, who informed Ashton of the request of the Arab countries to the Security Council over the no-fly zone. “Our eyes are now on the Security Council”, was Ashton's only comment to the press after the meeting.
G8 in Paris. Ashton then travelled to Paris, to take part in the meeting of the foreign affairs ministers of the G8 on Monday evening and this Tuesday (15 March). France, which currently holds the presidency of the G8, and the United Kingdom, are bringing much pressure for a no-fly zone to be set in place. “Over the next few hours, France will accelerate its efforts, together with its partners in the EU, the League of Arab States, the United Nations Security Council and the Libyan National Transition Council” to achieve this objective, said French Foreign Minister Alain Juppé, before the meeting. The earthquake in Japan, Africa's place in global governance and other regional dossiers (Somalia, Côte d'Ivoire, Sudan, Middle East, etc) will also be on the agenda of the G8.
Gymnich in Gödöllõ. Libya also dominated the informal meeting of the foreign ministers of the EU (Gymnich) held in Gödöllõ, near Budapest, on Friday evening and Saturday morning (11-12 March). Like their leaders at the summit, the ministers were also extremely cautious over any military action in Libya. No surprises there, then. Even so, the meeting gave Alain Juppé the opportunity to clarify France's position on the “clear legal basis” referred to in the declaration of the European Council. In Brussels on Friday, Nicolas Sarkozy was somewhat ambiguous over the need to obtain a UN mandate, describing it as “preferable” and intimating that it would not be indispensable if a regional and Libyan request was made. In Gödöllõ, however, Juppé assured his colleagues that one of the “conditions” for a military option in Libya was “a mandate from the United Nations”. The host of the meeting, the Hungarian Janos Martonyi, also confirmed afterwards that “all” the ministers took clear legal basis to mean a UN mandate. Everybody stressed that military intervention would be considered only as a last resort after all other options have been exhausted. Germany reiterated its major misgivings. The German minister, Guido Westerwelle, warned against what could be seen by the Arab and Muslim world as a “Christian crusade”, which would jeopardise the embryonic democracies in the region, in Egypt and in Tunisia. Due to developments on the ground, where the forces of the region appear increasingly to be winning out over the rebels, certain member states, such as Malta, Italy, Cyprus and Greece, started to plead in favour of calling for a ceasefire and national dialogue, diplomatic sources report. Libya was also the subject of talks between José Manuel Barroso and Silvio Berlusconi in Rome on Monday 14 March. Speaking before the press, the president of the Commission pledged Italy support and “political and financial solidarity” over the consequences of events in North Africa, particularly as regards immigration. “Europe is ready to show solidarity and share the burden with those who are particularly exposed” to the crisis in the region, said Barroso. (H.B./transl.fl)