NATO to enforce the no-fly zone in Libya but not all military operations there

3/24/2011
ASSOCIATED PRESS
BRUSSELS — After days of hard bargaining among its members, NATO agreed late Thursday to enforce the no-fly zone over Libya — but not other military operations there.

The agreement, announced in Brussels by the alliance's secretary-general, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, will allow the United States to hand over command and control of part of the international operation, as it has been eager to do. But it appeared that some NATO members balked at supervising attacks on targets on the ground.

"At this moment there will still be a coalition operation and a NATO operation," Mr. Fogh Rasmussen said. "But we are considering whether NATO should take on the broader responsibility in accordance with the U.N. Security Council resolution, but that decision has not been reached yet."

Mr. Fogh Rasmussen said the NATO operation would proceed in parallel with the bombing campaign carried out by coalition aircraft.

"At this moment there will still be a coalition operation and a NATO operation," Mr. Fogh Rasmussen said. "But we are considering whether NATO should take on that broader responsibility in accordance with the U.N. Security Council resolution, but that decision has not been made yet."