A conference in London on the situation in Libya ended in another ultimatum to Libyan leader Colonel Gaddafi. Participants of this forum, which brought together representatives from forty countries, were unanimous in passing a decision according to which aerial attacks against the forces of the Libyan regime will continue until Gaddafi fulfills all the requirements of a UN resolution on stopping acts of violence against civilians and withdraws his troops from the occupied cities. However, it looks like the participants of the anti-Gaddafi coalition are ready to go further and start arming Libyan rebels. US President Barack Obama said that Washington didn’t exclude the possibility of supplying weapons to the insurgents. At this, the American leader stressed that Gaddafi’s regime was considerably weakened and it would soon come to an end. “As we see, Gaddafi’s environment realizes that the noose has tightened and his days are numbered, and they will have to think of their future.”
In the meanwhile, the US State Secretary Hillary Clinton, who also attended the conference, expressed her confidence that the UN re-solutions allowed for a “legitimate transfer of arms” to the rebels, should any country wish to do so. She added that no decision had been made “at this time” by the US on arming the rebels.
William Hague, the British Foreign Secretary, is of a similar opinion. He stated that even though Libya was under a United Nations-mandated arms embargo, that did not mean that arming the rebels was impossible. France said it would also consider supplying weapons. “I remind you it is not part of the UN resolution... but we are ready to discuss it with our partners,” the French Foreign Minister, Alain Juppe, said.
Certainly, such a step by the international community will satisfy leaders of the Libyan opposition, who have also visited London recently trying to press on the Western governments to provide them with weapons. Moreover, it reflects the fears of the coalition partners that if the opposition does not receive weapons from outside, they will not be able to dethrone Gaddafi’s regime, which continues to enjoy strong support in the capital city of Tripoli.
It is possible that the stalemate in the confrontation between rebels and forces serving Gaddafi may split Libya. As the BBC service informed, referring to a high official close to Gaddafi, the Libyan government can agree on dividing the country with a corresponding division of its oil resources.
The events in Libya are attentively observed in Ukraine. Yesterday Ukraine’s President Viktor Yanukovych expressed hope that the territory of Libya wouldn’t be occupied by foreign troops. “For our state the protection of Ukrainian citizens is a priority. In view of this, Ukraine takes all necessary arrangements,” he stated while delivering a lecture at Brunei University. Besides, Yanukovych pointed out that Ukraine, as a responsible UN member, would fulfill all resolutions of the UN Security Council regarding Libya. “Ukraine strongly supports the requirements of the international community on an immediate cease-fire and calls the parties to dialog,” Yanukovych said.
