Libyan gov't troops retake rebel-held town
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Local citizens celebrate after Libyan government forces loyal to Gaddafi recaptured the eastern town of Ajdabiya, in Tripoli, March 15, 2011. Ajdabiya is the last town before the opposition stronghold of Benghazi, where the rebellion began last month. [Yang Guang/Xinhua] |
World divided on no-fly zone
The UN Security Council is scheduled to meet on Wednesday morning to discuss the issue of a no-fly zone over Libya, said Li Baodong, the Chinese permanent representative to the United Nations who holds the rotating council presidency for March.
Li made the statement after the 15-nation Security Council met behind closed doors on the issue. The Security Council adjourned the closed consultations on Libya on Tuesday afternoon, with some council members doubting whether such a no-fly zone will work.
On the same day, foreign ministers of the Group of Eight (G8) debated a common reaction to the ever-changing situation in Libya with some members against the imposition of a no-fly zone in the North African country.
Germany Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle spoke out against military intervention in Libya.
"I think we should be careful and cautious, should not think military intervention is the easy way, because when the interior intervention with the no-fly zone wasn't well organized, what is next?" Westerwelle told a news conference.
Germany's attitude was contrary to that of Britain and France, which advocated pressing for a UN resolution authorizing the use of military force to support the rebels in their fight against Gaddafi.
On Monday, British Prime Minister David Cameron said a no-fly zone was "perfectly practical and deliverable" while the UN Security Council failed to reach a resolution on the France-Britain proposal.
Sources said after the meeting that the Russian delegation also disagreed on specific military intervention in Libya.
There has been no comment from the U.S. delegation though Secretary of State Hillary Clinton reportedly met with members of Libya's opposition in Paris on Monday.
The Arab League on Saturday decided in an emergency meeting of foreign ministers to urge the UN Security Council to impose a no-fly zone over Libya to protect the citizens.
China urged peaceful solutions, said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Jiang Yu on Tuesday at a regular press briefing.
