Clinton Meets Allies as NATO Jets Enable Libyan Rebel Gains
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton left today for London, where she will meet tomorrow with allies on future actions on Libya.
The international conference, hosted by British Prime Minister David Cameron, is occurring two days after the North Atlantic Treaty Organization agreed to take command of the full Libyan military mission, including all aspects of civilian protection as well as the no-fly zone.
Foreign ministers from countries involved in the Libyan actions will discuss humanitarian aid, possible reconstruction plans and steps to help the Libyan opposition, according to a U.S. official and a European diplomat.
A leader of the Libyan opposition, Mahmoud Jibril, will attend the meeting, according to the European diplomat. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the meetings in advance.
Qaddafi’s regime has “completely lost its legitimacy” and Libyans should start organizing a transition process in anticipation of a new government coming to power, Cameron and French President Nicolas Sarkozy wrote in a joint letter released today in advance of the conference.
Qaddafi “must go immediately,” the two leaders said. “We call all of his followers to leave him before it is too late. We call on all Libyans who believe Qaddafi is leading Libya into a disaster to take the initiative now to organize a transition process.”
Rebels Heading West
Libyan rebel forces, rebounding with the help of allied air strikes, have advanced westward toward Sirte, the hometown of Muammar Qaddafi.
NATO will “soon” be in charge of allied operations in the Libyan conflict, Canadian Air Force General Charles Bouchard said.
“The exact time of the transition is still being coordinated,” Bouchard, in command of the allied effort, told reporters at North Atlantic Treaty Organization headquarters in Brussels today. “The exact date is soon.”
Speaking via video link from his command center at the NATO base in Naples, Italy, Bouchard added: “Transition from coalition to NATO forces has been and will be a seamless handover, with no gap in the effort to do what it takes to protect the people of Libya.”
At the Pentagon, U.S. Vice Admiral Bill Gortney told reporters that two aircraft designed for close support of ground troops, the AC-130U aerial gunship and the A-10 “Warthog,” were added to the mix. The allied attack wasn’t coordinated with the rebels on the ground, he said.
To contact the reporter on this story: Nicole Gaouette in Washington at ngaouette@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Mark Silva at msilva34@bloomberg.net
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