WASHINGTON, March 1 (Reuters) - The U.S. military is trying to give the White House the broadest range of possible actions as it steps up pressure on Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, defense officials said.
Two amphibious assault ships will arrive shortly in the Mediterranean, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said, and 400 Marines are being sent, poised to take part in evacuation and humanitarian operations if needed. "We are looking at a lot of options and contingencies. No decisions have been made on any other actions," Gates said, noting that the United Nations had not authorized use of force in Libya and that NATO countries had not reached an agreement about whether military might should be used.
"Our job is to give the president the broadest possible decision space," Gates said.
The repositioning of U.S. ships and aircraft closer to Libya is widely seen as a symbolic show of force since neither the United States nor its NATO allies have shown any appetite for direct military intervention in the turmoil that has seen Gaddafi lose control of large swaths of his country.
The United States and its NATO allies, however, are considering imposing a no-fly zone over Libya. Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, said setting up a no-fly zone would be a highly complex operation.
"If we were to set it up ... we'd have to work our way through doing it in a safe manner and not put ourselves in jeopardy" from Libyan air defense, he said. Mullen also said there was no indication that Iran had a role in stirring up the popular unrest that has brought sweeping political change across the Middle East.
(Reporting by Missy Ryan; Editing by Doina Chiacu)
MAC.TV is an independent network television broadcasting company that owns and operates the largest African broadcast television station group in the U.S. MAC.TV and Ethiopian Radio and Television Agency (ERTA) currently broadcasts to over 6 global satellites worldwide reach major cities in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. VISIT US ON THE WEB AT HTTP://WWW.MYAFRICACHANNEL.TV
Pages
Popular Posts
-
RE-POSTED ON AUGUST 09, 2011 5 th August 2011, LONDON Last night, (4 th August), BBC Newsnight broadcast a 17-minute film making allega...
-
Emperor Menelik II The Battle of Adwa and the Victory of Adwa Centenary Medal The Battle of Adwa, in which Ethiopian forces unde...
-
Foreign investment in Ghana Doubles with China as Arrowhead Williams Ekanem and agency Reports ...
-
U.S. President Barack Obama celebrates his 50th birthday with a star-studded fundraiser in Chicago , featuring performers Jennifer Hudson ...
-
* U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder deplores leaks * Says document release hurts relations with some allies By James Vicini WASHINGTO...
-
CAIRO, Jan 31 (Reuters) - Egypt's Vice President Omar Suleiman said on Monday President Hosni Mubarak has asked him to start dialogue wi...
-
March 8, 2011 8:38:27 PM * EU countries keen to develop links with opposition * Libya council members plan to meet EU minister...
-
PARIS, April 1 (Reuters) - France said on Friday Ivory Coast presidential claimant Laurent Gbagbo must stand down at once, end violence and ...
-
THE WHITE HOUSE Office of the Press Secretary __________________________________________________...
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment