Operation in Libya over within weeks, says French military

A day after Nato took command of the no-fly zone over Libya, France’s Chief of Defence said that military operations would last a matter of “weeks” and hopefully not “months”. Meanwhile, African countries are meeting in Addis Ababa on Friday to discuss the Libyan crisis and military intervention.

Reuters

France's Defence chief, Admiral Edouard Guillaud, said in a radio interview Fridaythat he hoped the campaign would be over in weeks and rather than months.

“There will not be, strictly speaking, a situation of getting bogged down militarily because obviously the solution is political,” he said. “Clearly, it is now a matter of finding political solutions, but that’s not my domain."

Overnight French forces destroyed an artillery battery in Ajdabiya with a laser-guided missile. A French fighter jet had downed a Libyan fighter jet over Misrata on Thursday.

The French involvement in the military intervention in Libyan is thought to have strained relations with fellow Nato-member Turkey. In an interview with the AFP news agency, the French Secretary of State for External Commerce Pierre Lellouche said that anti-western sentiment in election campaigning could be used to garner votes.

African nations are meeting with delegates from Libya, the European Union, the United Nations, the Arab League and the Organisation of the Islamic Conference in the Ethiopian capital on Friday.

This comes a day after Nato’s decision to accept military command of the no-fly zone over Libya. British Prime Minister David Cameron’s office described the decision as a “significant step forward” following confusion over who was heading up the mission.

“We are taking action as part of a broad international effort to protect civilians against the Kadhafi regime,” Nato Secretary General Andres Fogh Rasmussen said on Thursday.

Map

View Libya in a larger map

A spokesperson for the British PM said Nato’s decision would “ensure that the alliance’s tried and tested machinery is used to best effect”. Britain had been pushing for Nato to take command, although France was reluctant, saying that Nato’s involvement might alienate Arab nations.

British Tornado jets launched Brimstone missiles during the night targeting Libyan armoured vehicles in Ajdabiya the Defence Secretary Liam Fox announced on Friday.

Meanwhile, the United Arab Emirates has committed six F16 and six Mirage fighter jets to the no-fly despite the continuing unrest in Bahrain.

“UAE participation in the patrols will commence in the coming days,” said Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahayan, according to the Wam state news agency.