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France sends carrier to Libya, conducts more flights
PARIS - France sent an aircraft carrier towards Libya on Sunday and its warplanes carried out further operations over the north African country, armed forces and defence officials said.
The de Gaulle was in port in Toulon so it took them about 72 hours to get her ready to sail.
The Charles de Gaulle, the flagship of the French fleet, left the southern port of Toulon at around 1200 GMT, carrying around 1,800 crew members and some 20 aircraft.
The latter are the Rafale M, which is supposed to be a very good 4th generation strike fighter.
The carrier was accompanied by an attack submarine, several frigates and a refuelling ship, defence officials said.
I like to snicker about this ship, but since her last refit and repair in 2009 she's been quite busy. She just wrapped up operations in the Indian Ocean in support of our efforts in Afghanistan and got back to Toulon about four weeks ago.
"The French operations continue," said a source at armed forces headquarters. "French planes are in place (over Libya)."

President Nicolas Sarkozy's government, alongside Britain, was at the forefront of a campaign to win U.N. backing for a no-fly zone over Libya and to build an international coalition for military strikes to enforce it.

French planes fired the first shots on Saturday in the campaign to force Muammar Gaddafi's troops to cease fire and end attacks on civilians.

France's leadership in the diplomatic and military arenas appeared to have rallied public opinion behind President Nicolas Sarkozy, whose approval ratings have been languishing near record lows ahead of presidential elections early next year.

Even former prime minister Dominique de Villepin, one of Sarkozy's bitterest political critics and a man, applauded the government's role. "France has, in these circumstances, been true to its ideals," he told the Journal du Dimanche newspapers.
Amazing what happens when you get out in front and lead...

Posted by: Steve White 2011-03-21
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=318624