NATO to debate role in Libya operations

NATO will discuss today what role the alliance may take in Libya after the United Nations approved military action in the strife-torn country, NATO's spokeswoman said today. The alliance's decision-making body, the North Atlantic Council, was to meet...

NATO will discuss today what role the alliance may take in Libya after the United Nations approved military action in the strife-torn country, NATO's spokeswoman said today.

The alliance's decision-making body, the North Atlantic Council, was to meet from 0930 GMT to "discuss the implications of the resolution and advance planning for all eventualities," said NATO spokeswoman Oana Lungescu.

The ambassadors from the 28-nation military organisation will deliberate whether three conditions have been met for NATO to act, Lungescu said, noting that the alliance acts by consensus.

"For any NATO operation, there needs to be a demonstrable need for the alliance to act, firm regional support and a clear legal basis," she said.

"Under those three conditions, NATO stands ready to act as part of the broad international effort," she said.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.