David Cameron backtracks on Libya no-fly zone plan as US distances itself [View All]

[Turborama]

Source: The Guardian

David Cameron's suggestion of establishing no-fly zone over Libya and arming rebels rejected by US and France

Ewen MacAskill in Washington, Peter Beaumont in Tripoli, Nicholas Watt | Tuesday March 01 2011 21.50 GMT

Britain has backtracked from its belligerent military stance over Libya after the Obama administration publicly distanced itself from David Cameron's suggestion that Nato should establish a no-fly zone over the country and that rebel forces should be armed.

As senior British military sources expressed concern that Downing Street appeared to be overlooking the dangers of being sucked into a long and potentially dangerous operation, the prime minister said Britain would go no further than contacting the rebel forces at this stage.

The marked change of tone by the prime minister, who told MPs on Monday that Britain did not "in any way rule out the use of military assets", came as the British-educated son of Muammar Gaddafi mocked Cameron for trying to act as a hero. Saif al-Islam told Sky News: "Everybody wants to be a hero, to be important in history."

In Libya, Gaddafi appeared to settling into a deeper stalemate as attacks by his forces failed to dislodge the opposition from areas of several cities that they hold. A convoy of government aid, which Gaddafi's government said was bound for the eastern city of the rebel-held eastern city of Benghazi, set out from Tripoli . The 20 trucks were carrying food and medicine.

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2011/mar/01/cameron-backtracks-libya-zone-us