Libya News_Libyan air strikes prompt Nato rift with Britain and France

Libyan air strikes prompt Nato rift with Britain and France

William Hague and Alain Juppé press for intensified military action against Gaddafi but Nato rejects criticism

Harriet Sherwood in Tripoli and Richard Norton-Taylor
guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 12 April 2011 19.32 BST
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Rebel fighters stand their ground after brief shelling on the outskirts of Ajdabiya, Libya. Photograph: Ben Curtis/AP


A potential rift in the international coalition behind air strikes against Muammar Gaddafi's forces has emerged after Britain and France demanded the intensification of military action in the key battle fronts around Ajdabiya in the east of the country and Misrata in the west.

Nato must "maintain and intensify" its efforts, foreign secretary William Hague said, while his French counterpart, Alain Juppé, said not enough was being done to combat Gaddafi's troops. "Nato must play its role fully. It wanted to take the lead in operations," he said.

Nato rejected the criticism, saying it was "conducting its military operations in Libya with vigour within the current mandate. The pace of the operations is determined by the need to protect the population."

The sharp exchanges came as Libyan government forces continued heavy shelling of Misrata, where thousands of civilians are trapped in desperate conditions, and followed the rejection by the rebel opposition of an African Union attempt to broker a resolution to the conflict.

In a briefing in Brussels, Brigadier-General Mark van Uhm insisted Nato's actions were having an effect, but warned that Gaddafi's forces were adapting to the air strikes. "I think with the assets we have we are doing a great job … The arms embargo is in effect, the no-fly zone is effective. We are protecting the civilians. So we are executing our mission," he said.

"Pro-Gaddafi forces cannot fight where they want, they cannot fight how they want, and they cannot use the weapons they want. Nothing indicates, however, that Gaddafi has any intention of disengaging from operations."

But, he added, the situation on the ground was "dynamic, fluid and changing constantly".

"Because [Gaddafi's] heavy weapons systems have been hit hard over the last few days, we expect pro-regime forces to favour hit-and-run tactics by motorised columns of pickup trucks to wear out opposition forces psychologically rather than gain ground," he said.

Opposition forces have accused Nato of scaling back on air strikes. But Nato said it had flown an average of 155 daily air sorties over the past week, and more than 1,900 missions in total since taking command of the operation from the US, France and Britain on 31 March.

Hague also reiterated the UK's demand that any settlement of the conflict must include Gaddafi relinquishing power. "Any viable future for Libya involves the departure of Colonel Gaddafi," he said.

Libya's rebel opposition leadership flatly rejected a proposal by African Union leaders this week because it did not require Gaddafi's removal. The AU also called for a pause in Nato operations.

In Misrata, heavy fighting continued, according to rebels, who claimed they had repelled two separate offensives by Gaddafi's troops. Hundreds of civilians have been reported killed since the battle for control of the city began more than six weeks ago.

In the strategically important city of Ajdabiya, government forces withdrew west towards Brega, according to Nato. "The confrontation line is once again between Ajdabiyah and Brega," said Uhm.

Libyan state television said a Nato strike had killed civilians and police officers in the town of Kikla, south of Tripoli, but gave no details.

European foreign ministers met in Luxembourg to discuss how to increase humanitarian aid to the Libyan population. Hague told journalists: "Events in the Middle East are the most important events so far in the 21st century in the world, and the responsibility of the European Union is commensurate with the historic nature of those events."

UNHCR, the UN agency for refugees, said around 500 Libyans from the Western Mountains region had fled across the border to Tunisia amid intensifying fighting. Almost half a million people had fled Libya across land borders since the conflict began, it said.

Meanwhile, Qatar delivered four shipments of oil products by sea to the rebels in Benghazi. Doha has recognised the de facto government, along with Italy and France.