Cairo:The Arab League on Saturday urged the United Nations to slap a ‘no-fly’ zone on Libya and said Muammar Gaddafi’s regime had “lost legitimacy,” in a boost for rebels fighting to unseat the strongman.
The league also announced its recognition of the transitional National Council set up by the rebels in their eastern stronghold of Benghazi and said they would open contact with the group.
Britain and the United States welcomed the 22 member League’s support for a ‘no-fly’ zone over Libya.
Arab foreign ministers concluded crisis talks in Cairo by urging the UN Security Council “to assume its responsibilities in the face of the deteriorating situation in Libya and take the necessary measures to impose an air exclusion zone for Libyan warplanes.”
They also called in a resolution for the establishment of safe havens “to protect the Libyan people and all other nationals” living in areas subjected to attacks by Gaddafi forces.
Libyan leader Gaddafi’s regime “has lost its legitimacy (because of) the massive and dangerous violations” it has committed, said the resolution adopted after the talks at the League’s headquarters in the Egyptian capital. The Arab League will “cooperate… with the (opposition) provisional National Council and provide support and protection for the Libyan people,” it said.
The League “remains opposed to foreign intervention” warning, however, that “failure to act to solve the crisis will lead to foreign intervention,” the resolution added.
“It is necessary to respect international human rights laws, stop the crimes against the Libyan people, stop the fighting, and withdraw Libyan forces from cities and regions they entered,” the resolution said. It insisted that the Libyan people have a “right to achieve their demands” and democracy.
Arab League chief Amr Mussa told reporters that the decision to cooperate with the 30 member Libyan transitional council was de facto “recognition” of the opposition group. “We gave them (the council) legitimacy,” Oman’s foreign affairs chief, Yussef bin Alawi, told reporters.
Diplomats, earlier, said that nine of the 11 foreign ministers present had backed plans for a ‘no-fly’ zone.
Algeria and Syria had voted against. Syria’s ambassador to the Arab League, Yussef Ahmad, warned at the meeting that a ‘no-fly’ zone could pave the way for foreign intervention in Libya.
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