Grandstanding, or serious?

[Grey Havoc]

...since Misrata is liable to fall any day, indeed any hour now. The rebels are making a last stand at the docks, but it isn't looking good.

EU consults with NATO on Libya aid mission
Berlin (AFP) April 15, 2011 - The European Union and NATO strengthened their coordination Friday for a potential EU military mission to deliver urgent humanitarian aid to Libya's shell-shocked city of Misrata.

One day after attending an Arab League meeting on Libya in Cairo, EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton met NATO foreign ministers in Berlin to discuss ties between the two organisations and the situation in Libya.

"We also remain seriously concerned about the humanitarian situation in Libya and stand ready, if requested by the UN, to send an EU mission to support humanitarian efforts," Ashton said.

"Pending the request, the planning is at an advanced stage. And in this context we are coordinating with others, including NATO," she said in a statement after the talks.

The discussions came after the EU overcame Swedish objections to a potential military-humanitarian mission as the bloc approved the first phase of planning for such an operation, a European diplomat said.

The EU and NATO agreed to hold an informal meeting at the level of ambassadors to discuss Libya in the coming weeks, to "avoid a doubling up (of operations) and adjust their activities," a German diplomat said.

The two organisations have exchanged their operational plans for Libya in case the United Nations asks the EU to send a mission to Libya, a NATO official said.

The EU has yet to make any final decision on a mission to Libya, which would likely include the deployment of ships. Any mission would need the green light from the UN.

But Ashton told UN chief Ban Ki-moon last week that the bloc was ready to use military means to bring urgent aid to Misrata, a rebel-held city besieged by Moamer Kadhafi's forces for nearly two months.

Any mission would have to be coordinated with NATO since the 28-nation military alliance has deployed several warships and jets in the Mediterranean to enforce an arms embargo and a no-fly zone on Libya.

NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said this week that the EU should lead any humanitarian mission, not the alliance.

"It is also a bit of a controversial question to have a military organisation to take part in the delivery of humanitarian assistance," Rasmussen said on Monday.

The Libya foreign ministry warned Monday that "any attempt to approach Libyan territory under the cover of a humanitarian mission will be met with staunch armed resistance."

http://www.spacewar.com/reports/NATO_runs_short_of_munitions_in_Libya_report_999.html

(Scroll down)

EDIT:

Assuming that this 'Hail Mary pass' comes together, based on force availability, the core of the ground forces component will probably be based around the EU's Nordic Battlegroup, with attachments from elements of the French 'Troupes de marine'. Participation in this operation by the 107 Battlegroup must be considered extremely unlikely due to political considerations. Participation on the ground by Great Britain (in the guise of the Royal Marines or SBS) is also considered unlikely, in this case due to budget/capability cuts.

 

[Grey Havoc]

Looks like that's the end of that, at least for Misrata.


UN not seeking EU troops for Libya aid mission

by Staff Writers
United Nations (AFP) April 20, 2011


The United Nations has no plans to seek European Union troops to protect humanitarian corridors in Libya, as it fears threats to aid workers who could be linked to the soldiers, a top UN official said Wednesday.

"Not at the moment, we are able to get in using civilian means," UN humanitarian chief Valerie Amos told a press conference about the prospect of seeking EU troops.

Amos joined private aid agencies in expressing concern about the "blurred lines" between humanitarian and military operations.

Moamer Kadhafi's regime has warned that it will put up "armed resistance" to any attempt to get soldiers into Libya to protect humanitarian deliveries.

The EU has told the United Nations that it has troops ready when needed.

The UN humanitarian chief said the United Nations has an agreement with the European Union and NATO to, if the security situation warrants it, "call on them for support of military assets," Amos said.

"But we are not at that point yet," he said, adding: "It is difficult but we are able to do it."

Amos said there is always a problem when states, such as European nations enforcing a no-fly zone over Libya, also want to be involved in the humanitarian effort which must remain "impartial and neutral."

The lives of humanitarian workers and the aid are risked, she added.

"The government has said absolutely clearly that it will stop any attempt to use humanitarian assistance or aid to support military efforts. So we have to be extremely careful about that and try as much as possible to ensure that those lines do not get blurred," Amos said.

Amos said a UN humanitarian team could arrive in Tripoli as early as this weekend, following an accord she signed with the Kadhafi government this week.

She called the besieged city of Misrata, where hundreds have been killed in recent weeks, a key concern but added that the UN needs access to other Libyan cities as well.

Other aid groups have urged the UN to hold back from seeking EU military help with Oxfam insisting that the use of EU troops should only be a "last resort."

"We're definitely not at this point in Libya, and all other options must be looked at before Brussels should be allowed to go ahead with its plan," Jamie Balfour-Paul, Oxfam's Middle East spokesman said.


http://www.spacewar.com/reports/UN_not_seeking_EU_troops_for_Libya_aid_mission_999.html

 

[Grey Havoc]

A quick note. The rebels have claimed that they have retaken some territory in Misrata, as reported by MSNBC and the BBC, but I have doubts about the reliability of that claim.

EDIT: Apparently the Libyan Army is pulling back from Misrata. MSNBC is trying to spin it as the Army as having lost control of Misrata. However other reports are indicating that Gadhafi is just sending in tribes loyal to him to handle the final clean up. Clean up being a euphemism for 'massacre', in this case.

 

[Grey Havoc]

Europe planning for Libya force despite UN concern: France

by Staff Writers
Paris (AFP) April 22, 2011


The European Union is continuing to plan for a possible military intervention to bring aid to the besieged rebel Libya city of Misrata despite UN reservations, the French foreign ministry said Friday.
"Faced with the worsening humanitarian situation, in particular in Misrata, the multinational general staff in Rome is continuing to plan for a military operation to support humanitarian aid," spokeswoman Christine Fages said.

"The European Union is ready to respond to any UN request."

While pushing for more coalition air strikes on Moamer Kadhafi's forces and giving strong political support to the Libyan rebellion against him, France has said that Europe will not send in ground troops without UN approval.

For the past two weeks, military officers from EU countries have been meeting in Italy to plan for a "EUFOR Libya", a European intervention force designed to protect civilians and escort humanitarian aid.

But the United Nations has not yet asked for boots on the ground, and many member states have opposed the idea of outside military intervention.

Asked on Wednesday whether she wanted the help of EU troops, UN humanitarian chief Valerie Amos told reporters: "Not at the moment, we are able to get in using civilian means."

Amos joined private aid agencies in expressing concern about the "blurred lines" between humanitarian and military operations.

Kadhafi's regime has warned that it will put up "armed resistance" to any attempt to get soldiers into Libya to protect humanitarian deliveries.

But Amos said the United Nations has an agreement with the European Union and NATO to, if the security situation warrants it, "call on them for support of military assets."


http://www.spacewar.com/reports/Europe_planning_for_Libya_force_despite_UN_concern_France_999.html