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NATO concludes Libya mission
BRUSSELS: NATO ends its military operation in Libya at midnight on Monday, seven months after launching an air and sea campaign that helped bring the overthrow and death of Muammar Qaddafi.In announcing the decision last week, NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen called it one of the most successful operations in the history of the 62-year-old alliance. Rasmussen will mark the end of the mission by visiting Libya on Monday, where he will meet Libyas National Transitional Council and members of civil society, the alliance said. NATO stuck to its decision to end the operation despite NTC calls for it to stay engaged longer and says it does not expect to play a major post-war role, although it could assist the transition to democracy by helping with security sector reform. NATO took over the mission on March 31, based on a United Nations mandate that set a no-fly zone over Libya and permitted foreign military forces, including NATO, to use all necessary measures to protect Libyan civilians. That mandate was terminated last Thursday, despite a request for the UN Security Council to wait for the NTC to decide if it wants NATO help to secure its borders. NATO allies have been keen to see a quick conclusion to a costly effort that has involved more than 26,000 air sorties and round-the-clock naval patrols at a time when budgets are under severe strain due to the global economic crisis. But NATO officials said members of the alliance are free to give further security aid to Libya individually. Posted by: Steve White 2011-11-01 |
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