European allies fighting over Libyan mission

                                               Gallery of fools?

God save us from half-wits, which rule as so called leaders
of men, that should have wisdom, but we have half-wits pretending to be in intellectuals?

  

London Times in Gioia Del Colle
Italy;  As British RAF Typhoons took to
the skies from this southern Italian air base, there was mounting tension and
fighting between so called allies about who should command the mission to
enforce a no-fly zone in Libya.

After heated exchanges between
NATO ambassadors in Brussels, the alliance announced an operation to enforce
the arms embargo against Libya. But it went no further on deciding if or when
NATO would take command of the mission already under way, in which several
allies are participating.

In a statement to the London Times,
NATO only said that it had plans on the table to enforce the no-fly zone
"if needed." (Just your usual ra, ra, ra, ra that we have come to
expect from doh, doh’s)

The backdrop was a simmering feud
between France and Italy that turned more cynical by the hour. Italy is
demanding that NATO take a lead role in the military and political
decision-making during the remainder of the Libyan mission.

But resistance within the alliance
mounted even as the United States expressed its desire to now take a back seat
in the operation and hand over any all command role to European allies. France
seemed most reluctant to submit to NATO command, but Germany and Turkey also
voiced objections.

These countries also argue that
Arab League nations would be shut out of any decision-making if NATO took
control.

Who should lead coalition efforts
(Maybe Noddy should lead it?) (What’s going to be the Cost of U.S. involvement
in Libya?)(High)

German Foreign Minister Guido
Westerwelle said he continues to believe it was right not to participate in the
United Nations-sanctioned mission. He noted that Germany is not alone in its sceptical
view of military action, pointing to the fact that other European nations are
not taking part either.

Westerwelle also refused to
comment on whether NATO should take a leading role in enforcing U.N. resolution
1973.

"That is for the coalition of
the willing to debate," Westerwelle said.

French Foreign Minister Alain
Juppe told French media that NATO would play a role in the mission in coming
days but that French, British and a council of other coalition partners would
make political decisions. One NATO official described this to the London Times
as putting the alliance's assets at the disposal of the coalition, but NATO
would have no formal political role.

The fighting bickering continued
as Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini again threatened to take back
complete control of Italian airbases if NATO did not take the reins of the
mission.

"Who, if not NATO, can take
on this task?" said Frattini in comments to Italian media and the London Times.

Some Italian politicians sought to
settle old colonial scores by cynically noting that if France was allowed to
lead this mission, it would get all the Libyan oil contracts and Italy would
get all the Libyan refugees. (It’s always been about the Oil? And the London
Times told you so?)

On a busy day at the Gioia Del
Colle Air Base in southern Italy, British RAF Typhoons executed a number of
sorties to enforce the no-fly zone in Libya.

"The Italian support is
crucial," said the British Royal Air Force Commander, Group Captain Sammy
Sampson, but added that his fighters could operate from other locations.
"It's a decision for our headquarters and our political masters."

Discussions between NATO allies
will continue this week as the alliance continues to disagree over the
parameters and scope of the U.N. resolution that authorized all means necessary
to protect civilians in Libya, as well as imposing a no-fly zone over the
country.

As well as disagreeing over
whether Libyan leader Col. Gadhafi is a legitimate target, there is the
question of whether Libya will split along tribal lines or whether a united
Libya is even a possibility. There is no appetite among coalition allies to get
involved in a tribal grudge match or civil war. (But it is willing to drop its
bombs?)

Turkey, also a NATO member, also
voiced its opposition to a political role for the alliance and has forcefully
suggested that the mission so far has already gone beyond the intention of the
U.N. resolution to protect civilians. However, one NATO source told CNN that
they did not see Turkey's objections so far as a major stumbling block to a
further role for NATO, British prime minister David Cameron seems to have gone
missing after starting this new war, doing a Tony Blair??????????.

(God save us from fools)