Washington: United States President Barack Obama in a joint article with David Cameron and Nicolas Sarkozy has committed that their countries would continue military action until Colonel Gaddafi has been step down.
Obama, in the joint article, repeated America’s earlier cautious approach to the conflict – which saw the US hand control to Nato and withdraw fighter planes just days after the intervention began – and signs up his country to the more muscular intervention of his European colleagues.
The three top leaders say that the world would have committed an “unconscionable betrayal” if the Libyan leader is left in place, putting rebels who have been fighting against the Gaddafi regime at the mercy of his government. If left, Libya risks becoming a failed state, they write.
They asked Gaddafi to “go and go for good”, rejecting demands for an immediate ceasefire and a negotiated exit for the Libyan dictator.
Diplomats are considering how the United Nations’ language can accommodate a more active role on the ground.
But Italy and Spain let it be known that they would not take part in air strikes and the US, despite Obama’s support for operations to continue while Gaddafi remains in power, has so far insisted that it sees no need to change what it describes as its “supporting role” in the campaign – it has flown about a third of the missions. Germany disappointed its allies by refusing to become involved from the outset.
They write, “The brave citizens of those towns that have held out against forces that have been mercilessly targeting them would face a fearful vengeance if the world accepted [Gaddafi staying]. It would be an unconscionable betrayal.
“So long as Gaddafi is in power, Nato and its coalition partners must maintain their operations so that civilians remain protected and the pressure on the regime builds … Britain, France and the United States will not rest until the UN security council resolutions have been implemented and the Libyan people can choose their own future.”
The article originally began as a collaboration between Cameron and Sarkozy, coinciding with the prime minister’s trip to Paris on Wednesday to discuss the military action, The Times reported.
A draft was sent to the White House as a courtesy, prompting a request from Obama to add his name. Diplomatic sources said that only minor changes were made to accommodate him.
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