Brussels: NATO again failed to agree on taking over command of military operations against Muammar Gaddafi’s forces in Libya from the United States due to Turkish reservations, diplomats said.
The ambassadors three day meeting of the 28-nation alliance has been ended in Brussels without a consensus in Brussels, one senior NATO diplomat said: “No decision on anything.”
Turkey, a Muslim ally, said it did not want NATO to take responsibility for offensive operations that could cause civilian casualties or be in charge of enforcing a United Nation-mandated no-fly zone while coalition aircraft were simultaneously bombing Libyan forces.
“It would be impossible for us to share responsibility in an operation that some authorities have described as a ‘crusade’,” Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu told reporters in Ankara. Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has used that term, as has Gaddafi.
“It’s important that the effort be gathered under one umbrella, and we will continue to negotiate until we achieve this. No one should make this out as Turkey is trying to block efforts, this is wrong … It may be a long night, but we will continue talks until Turkey’s concerns are put to rest,” Davutoglu said.
A Turkish diplomat said talks would continue on Thursday. One NATO source said Turkey wanted Western coalition countries to finish their air strikes before NATO took over command, so the alliance was not blamed for any accidents.
Another source said the United States had wanted to transfer command to the alliance on Saturday, a week after the start of operations, but that was likely to slip since NATO would need 72 hours to put the decision into practice.
After four nights of air strikes, Gaddafi remained defiant, vowing that Western powers engaged in military action in Libya would “end up in the dustbin of history”.
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