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Libya Crisis: Implications of the Cease-fire
Libyan Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled Kaim said March 18 that Libya
would positively respond to the U.N. Security Council resolution calling
for a no-fly zone over Libya. The statement was soon followed by a
declaration by Libyan Foreign Minister Moussa Koussa of an immediate
unilateral cease-fire and halt to all military operations. Tripoli added
that it was ready to open “all dialogue channels with everyone
interested in the territorial unity of Libya,” that it wanted to protect
Libyan civilians, and that it was inviting the international community
to send government and nongovernmental organization representatives “to
check the facts on the ground by sending fact-finding missions so that
they can take the right decision.”
The Libyan declaration comes as members of the NATO military alliance
were ramping up for airstrikes authorized by the United Nations against
troops loyal to Moammar Gadhafi. French diplomatic sources have been
quoted as saying airstrikes could start “within hours.” Libya’s move
potentially throws a wrench in plans to establish and enforce a no-fly
zone — and take additional military action — against the Gadhafi
government. Read more »
