"... Administration officials said they were held back until Friday because of fears that the Libyan government might take its diplomats and other Americans there hostage. Now, with most Americans safely out of the country, senior administration officials are demanding Colonel Qaddafi’s immediate resignation and ridiculing his claims that he enjoys the support of his people...
In addition to a no-fly zone, designed to prevent the Libyan Air Force from attacking its citizens, options under review include using military transports to deliver food and medicine, or evacuating Libyans who want to leave the country. But there are clear risks to involving the military, officials said, especially if the effort is led by the United States. Privately, American officials said any United States military presence could undermine the legitimacy of the Libyan revolt as an internal, grass-roots movement. Qaddafi supporters — and even those across the Arab world who do not like the dictator — could denounce American action as being only about oil... Egypt’s foreign minister, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, said his country would not endorse any foreign military intervention. An Egyptian official noted that the use of Egyptian forces was wholly a decision for the military, which controls the country..."
No comments:
Post a Comment