WHYS on TV: Libya - what next for the coalition?

I think that M. del Villepin is right on target here. The UN mandate was only to defend civilians from being attacked massively by Libyan military foces. The mandate does not stipulate either the ouster of Gaddafi, or regime change, or that the UN forces work in concert with the rebel fighters. The West MUST NOT take sides in the internal squabble.

It is precisely this type of mission creep that created the fiasco in Afghanistan, and that got the US involved in Iraq at all. As deVillepin said, resolution 1973 was hastily developed for the express purpose of stopping what everyone thought was imminent massacre in Benghasi. It was not meant to be carte blanche for repeating open-ended, unspecific operations such as what Afghanistan and Iraq devolved into.

As to all the questions about Ivory Coast, Bahrain, etc., as long as we don't see a massive genocide about to occur, from hugely disparate internal forces, there's no type of "defense of populations" charter involved there. The general rule has to be, foreign powers do not get involved in civil wars, as a matter of course. For that matter, you can add any number of other countries to that list. Heaven forbid we should forget that, and ever think we can police the world. Or even worse, ever have other countries expect that we instantly would jump in to police their illegitimate or incompetent government actions.

The concept of International intervention in Libya is cristal clear, International community always talks about values of freedom and social equality. The EU and Western in general always suported regimes such as Gaddafi's. Who needs that support are the people now. If West wants to come to closer understanding with Arab people they should show who they support? Democracey or Dictatorship. Those who oppose this intervention no nothing about brutality and genocide. Partly those dictators were always supported politically and economically by the West, unfortunatelly. Now, for the fisrst time in history you see US, French, British war planes bombarding targets in an Arab country with the support of Majority of Arabs!! It has never happened. I myself was against the war on Afganistan and Iraq but now I fully support the coalitiion operations in Libya. I know what death, killing and showing no mercey to kids, women, elderly, means!! Look at this footage from yesterday (friday 25th March) in Musratah http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSnSLtjKgYY&feature=player_embedded and if you don't support the international intervention ..you are not human!!

I have a feeling that the people and the governments of this Arabic and North African regions have had a sort of love hate relationship with the dictators in there. They may have hated the dictators in their own right, but they all begin to feel insecure whenever the international bodies try intervening to correct the matters.

am laud from ghana
am very suprise at bbc u ar being partial. I know there are people who will like suport Gaddafi, but you intereview them, we don't hear of them.

What next for the coalition in Libya? Nothing but killing innocent civilians, lies, corruption and cover ups. We all know very well the lies told in Iraq, Afghanistan and now Libya. Oh libya, the rebels are busy committing their attrocities, the media is bias against Gadhaffi and so only report in favor of Rebels and the so-called coalition, the International Community or rather the International Rebels Collaboration Community fabricates the lies to present to the outside world (For instance, today they lied that Gadhaffi forces are gathering people they kill and stack them in areas struck by coalition forces) A clear lie that even the blind man can see. The Libyan people are the unfortunate ones that have become unncessary victims of the International Rebel Collaboration Community (IRCC). Gadhaffi and his sons will die matyrs like Sadam and his children. In the end, they will come and tell us another story they will call the truth and look for a scape goat.

Am I the only one who begins to think that the coverage on Lybia is unreal?

We see pictures of Gaddafi's Army with tanks, artillery soldiers etc.. We see pictures of a rag tag of "civilians" with their cars and trucks and rifles. we see pictures of a plume of smoke way in the distance where the Lybian army/airforce is shelling/dropping bombs.

Are we really to believe that these (armed) "civilians" are pushing back or even holding up the Lybian army, even with the "no fly Zone"?

I hold no affection for Gaddafi or conspiracy theories but something is going on which I for one don't understand.

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